The Effect of calcitonin treatment of post menopausal osteoporosis on levels of serum octeocalcin

» SUMMARY Osteocalcin is a matrbc Gla protein which is thought to be a highly specific osteoblastic marker produced during bone formation although rts precise biological function continues to be a subject of speculation. This study was planned to investigate the effect of salmon calcitonin (sCT) treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis on the levels of serum osteocalcin, alkaline phosphatase, calcium and phosphorous. Seventy fıve women with postmenopausal osteoporosis were included in this study. Fifly five vvomen (mean age: 61,47± 5,23) were given 100IU salmon calcitonin i.m. (every day on the first week, other every day on the second week and then three times per week) and twenty women (mean age: 58,65±6,55) were given placebo. Ali subjects took öne soluble tablet of calcium (1000mg) per day. in the treatment group baseline evaluation revealed that 21 (38,18 %) patients had high turnover, and 34 ( 61,82 % ) patients normal turnover osteoporosis as assessed by baseline osteocalcin levels. Serum levels of osteocalcin decreased signifıcantly belovv baseline in the whole sCT group, vvhereas they were unchanged in the placebo group. When osteocalcin levels were analyzed separately, only those with high turnover osteoporosis, showed a more signifıcantly decreased levels below baseline values. At the first month, seruni levels of osteocalcin were signifıcantly lower in the high turnover sCT group than in the placebo group. There were not signiftcant changes in serum alkaKne phosphatase, calcium and phosphorous in ali groups. Our resutts demostrate that, osteocalcin is a specific marker for bone turnover. Calcitonin therapy appears to be paröcularly more effecöve for patients wrflı high-tumover osteoporosis.