Intranasal calcitonin for the prevention of bone erosion and bone loss in rheumatoid arthritis

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial paper looks at Calcitonin in the context of rheumatoid arthritis.

The effect of intranasal salmon calcitonin on pain, erosion progression, and bone loss in 40 women with rheumatoid arthritis was investigated.

The study design was double blind, placebo controlled for the first four months and open for the next 36 months, allowing for cross over to active drug treatment or to the control group.

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 40 women taking part.

PubMed indexes the participants as adults and middle-aged adults, women only.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study.

Because people in this Calcitonin study were split into groups at random, differences between the groups are less likely to reflect who happened to join each one.

As a double-blind Calcitonin study, the assignments were hidden from both participants and investigators until the end.

Some women received a placebo instead of Calcitonin, giving a reference point.

The bone mineral density was evaluated in the forearm and spine.

What Was Measured

The mean (SD) monthly progressions in the Larsen score in the calcitonin and control groups were 0.21 (0.22) and 0.23 (0.28) respectively.

The subject headings attached to it are Arthritis, Rheumatoid, Bone Density, Bone Resorption, Calcitonin and Pain.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Calcitonin in 40 women in people with rheumatoid arthritis.

The publication is from 1992 (Annals of the rheumatic diseases), a journal based in United States.

More context: the Calcitonin compound page, Rheumatoid arthritis research.