Long-term Bisphosphonate Therapy Causes Fracture Worry for Patients

Long-term bisphosphonate therapy has been found to be dangerous to the bone health of patients, medical experts confirm, citing various studies showing the peril they pose. This issue has caused many cases to be brought forth by plaintiffs, such as, the class action lawsuits against Fosamax manufacturer Merck.

Studies have shown that long-term bisphosphonate therapy lasting more than five years has been linked to atypical subtrochanteric femur fractures. Experts believe this is due to the medications normal effect of interfering with normal bone turnover which made the femur bones prone to atypical fractures.

Bisphosphonates work by preventing normal turnover of bone cells and thus helps to maintain bone density by retaining calcium in bones. It has also been used to treat certain types of cancer and treat osteopenia and other diseases involving bone brittleness.

URL Reference:

aaos.org/news/aaosnow/dec11/clinical9.asp

Spinal Fractures May Result From Weak Bones

Bones may become weak and thin and lose calcium as a person ages. Calcium loss may be dangerous because it makes the bones susceptible to fracture resulting in the medical condition called osteoporosis. Of course, there are many different osteoporosis drugs available that can help in this kind of situation. However, there are also issues that surround these formulations just like what happened to Fosamax. This drug is said to cause adverse effects which has led people to file legal complaints against its manufacturer. Now, the number of complaints are rising as a new Fosamax-like drug was released.

Osteoporosis is a medical condition that affects both men and women. However, women are considered to highly suffer from it due to osteoporosis-related menopause. A bone density test is usually administered through the use of X-ray in order to diagnose this condition.

Osteoporosis may always result to fractures because the vertebrae are the bones that make up the spine and they are common sites of fractures due to the condition. Vertebral compression fracture is the term used to describe them.

Clearly, prevention is better than cure. Our choices in life can help in the lessening the chance of osteoporosis and vertebral compression fracture to happen. One should practice low impact exercise, a proper diet with adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D, and minimizing beer drinking and smoking.

Even without a history of trauma or injury, development of new vertebral compression can still happen. A  sudden pop in the back usually occurs which is followed by feelings of severe pain. Usually, an X-ray is needed to diagnose this condition. There are even times that a magnetic resonance image (MRI) is required.

Non-surgical and surgical methods of treatment can help in healing new or acute verbal compression fractures. Surgery will not be required if the fracture is mild and the fracture is tolerable. But this does not change the fact that experiencing fracture is still a dangerous situation which is why we cannot blame people who have filed a Fosamax femur fracture lawsuit.

References:

kentucky.com/2012/04/29/2169363/weakening-of-bones-can-lead-to.html