Clinical and laboratory safety of one year's use of a combination calcium + vitamin D tablet in ambulatory elderly women with vitamin D insufficiency: results of a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: This article presents the results of an evaluation of the clinical and laboratory safety of a 1-year course of treatment with a combination calcium and vitamin D tablet in ambulatory women aged >65 years with vitamin D insufficiency. METHODS: In a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted in France, women with a 25-hydroxyvitamin D level < or =12 ng/mL were randomized to receive either a combination tablet containing calcium carbonate 500 mg and vitamin D3 400 IU taken twice daily or a matching placebo tablet for 1 year. A complete clinical examination was performed at baseline and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of treatment; blood and urine samples were collected for laboratory analyses at the same time points. Safety was monitored based on adverse events recorded during the treatment period and on the results of laboratory tests, including measurement of creatinine and uric acid levels. RESULTS: The study included 192 women (mean [SD] age, 74.6 [6.9] years; mean weight, 64.0 [12.5] kg), 95 in the calcium + vitamin D group and 97 in the placebo group. Fifty women (21/95 [22.1%] calcium + vitamin D, 29/96 [30.2%] placebo) were prematurely withdrawn from the study for various reasons, with no difference in withdrawals between groups. Treatment-related adverse events were reported in 21 (22.1%) and 23 (24.0%) women in the respective treatment groups. These events consisted mainly of metabolic disorders (9 [9.5%] and 10 [10.4%], respectively), particularly hypercalcemia (6 [6.3%] and 8 [8.3%]) and gastrointestinal disorders (9 [9.5%] and 8 [8.3%]). No major complications directly related to calcium and vitamin D supplementation occurred during the course of treatment. Although renal function was not altered, the group who received calcium + vitamin D had significantly elevated concentrations of serum uric acid compared with those who received placebo (52.3% vs 37.2%; P = 0.046) but not urinary uric acid. CONCLUSIONS: In these ambulatory elderly women with vitamin D deficiency, supplementation with calcium + vitamin D appeared to be well tolerated over 1 year of treatment. No significant effects on creatinine clearance were observed. However, the proportion of women with elevated serum uric acid concentrations was significantly greater in those who received calcium + vitamin D compared with those who received placebo.

Prediction of bone mass density variation by bone remodeling markers in postmenopausal women with vitamin D insufficiency treated with calcium and vitamin D supplementation.

The aim of this study was to determine whether early changes in bone markers could predict long-term response in bone mineral density (BMD) after calcium (500 mg) and vitamin D (400 IU) supplementation twice daily in ambulatory elderly women with vitamin D insufficiency (25-hydroxyvitamin D, <12 ng/ml). One hundred and ninety-two women (mean age, 75 +/- 7 yr) were randomized to receive either the supplementation (n = 95) or a placebo (n = 97) in a double-blind, controlled clinical trial for 1 yr. In comparison with the placebo group, supplementation significantly increased BMD, normalized 25-hydroxyvitamin D and significantly decreased intact PTH and bone remodeling markers. The initial values of telopeptide cross-links were correlated with improvement in total body BMD [urinary N-telopeptides (NTX), r = 0.38; C-telopeptides (CTX), r = 0.32; serum CTX, r = 0.28], and the 3-month changes in the same markers were correlated with improvement in total body (urinary N-telopeptides, r = -0.29; serum CTX, r = -0.26) and vertebral BMD (CTX, r = -0.26; all P < 0.05). We concluded that short-term changes in bone resorption markers can predict long-term variations in BMD in elderly women with vitamin D insufficiency receiving calcium and vitamin D supplementation.

Effects on bone mineral density of calcium and vitamin D supplementation in elderly women with vitamin D deficiency.

OBJECTIVE: Calcium and vitamin D deficiency is common in older individuals, particularly those who live in nursing homes, and increases the risk of osteoporosis and fractures. METHODS: We conducted a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study of combined supplementation with 500 mg of elemental calcium, as carbonate, and 400 IU of vitamin D bid for 12 months in women older than 65 years of age with vitamin D deficiency, defined as serum 25(OH)D concentrations