Microcrystalline calcium hydroxyapatite compound in corticosteroid-treated rheumatoid patients: A controlled study

Abstract

Osteoporosis is common in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), particularly when treated with corticosteroids. It may lead to fractures, especially in the spine. The management of osteoporosis is unsatisfactory, so methods are sought to prevent its development. In postmenopausal women calcium supplements partly prevent bone loss. Loss of bone mineral, however, is not the same as loss of calcium, since mineralisation also depends on magnesium, phosphate, fluoride, and other substances. We have conducted a controlled trial using a microcrystalline hydroxyapatite compound (MCHC) given as Ossopan. MCHC is prepared from young bovine bones by grinding and sieving after removing the fatty constituents, leaving the minerals in their natural ratios as well as residues of matrix, proteins, and glycosaminoglycans. © 1978, British Medical Journal Publishing Group. All rights reserved.