Interní Med. 2009; 11(1): 13-16

Vitamin D - an essential component of osteoporosis treatment

MUDr. Jiří Jenšovský

Osteocentrum, ÚVN Praha

Pandemic of osteoporosis is becoming more and more evident with aging of population and increasing longevity. A very persuading

numbers about fractures, mainly of femoral neck, are alarming and are becoming a population problem. The basic preventive measure

is an effort to reach optimal and as great as possible peak bone mass that is determined genetically and influenced by a number of modifiable

external factors. The condition for a successful development, skeletal maintenance and osteopenia or osteoporosis treatment

effect is sufficient saturation with calcium and vitamin D in every age.

Besides pandemic of osteoporosis aging population worldwide faces subclinical deficit of vitamin D that leads to acceleration of age

related increase in secretion of parathormon and is one of principal mechanisms of bone mass loss in higher age decades – involutional

osteoporosis. Subclinical vitamin D deficit manifests also by sarcopenia, muscle weakness, instability and functional disorders increasing

the risk of falls. This state is reversible after saturation with vitamin D. All clinical studies concerning antiresorbtive therapy are performed

always with concomitant saturation with calcium and vitamin D; currently there are combined medications with biphosphonate

and vitamin D in one pill. Besides supplementation with a regular vitamin D we have now also a pharmacotherapeutic intervention with

a more active metabolite alfacalcidole, that nesides effect on skeleton shows also a very positive effect on muscular system and can

prevent osteoporosis fractures by limiting a number of falls.

Keywords: Key words: vitamin D, osteoporosis, osteoporotic fractures myopathy, alfacalcidiol.

Published: March 1, 2009  Show citation