The Effects of Teriparatide Treatment on Back Pain, Quality of Life, Depression and Biochemistry Parameters in Patients with Severe Postmenopausal Osteoporosis: Short-Term Results

Objective: The aim of this trial was to determine the early effects of teriparatide treatment on back pain, quality of life, depression, and biochemical parameters in patients with severe postmenopausal osteoporosis (OP).Materials and Methods: Twenty-one female patients with severe postmenopausal OP were included in this study. The patients received daily doses of 20 μg of teriparatide and 800 IU vitamin D3 + 1.200 mg calcium for a period of six months. The subjects were evaluated on the basis of the visual analogue scale (VAS), Quality of life Questionnaire of the European Foundation for Osteoporosis (QUALEFFO), the Beck Depression Scale (BDS) and biochemical parameters (serum calcium, phosphorus, uric acid, alkaline phosphatase, parathyroid hormone, 25-OH vitamin D3, kidney and liver function tests) before and after treatment.Results: Eight patients discontinued teriparatide treatment because of high cost and/or difficulties in application. Thirteen patients who continued the teriparatide treatment demonstrated statistically significant improvements on the pain VAS and the QUALEFFO (subgroups of pain and total scores) after therapy compared with baseline (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in both BDS scores and biochemical parameters (p>0.05).Conclusion: In patients with severe postmenopausal OP, teriparatide therapy is effective in reducing back pain and improving quality of life in the short term and can be considered as an important treatment choice for these patients. Turk J Phys Med Re-hab 2011;57:134-8.