Quality of life in postmenopausal osteoporotic patients under treatment with elcatonin

Objectives. Evaluate differences in Quality of Life (QoL) after 6 months under treatment with elcatonin and response to treatment on pain and functional status. Study design. Open, observational and prospective. Patients recruited were 1,600 postmenopausal women in treatment with elcatonin, selected by 200 investigators in Spain. The inclusion criteria complained postmenopausal women aged between 50-80 years with osteoporosis associated with pain and or restriction of movility, candidates to receive elcatonin treatment. They were studied three months inclusion period and 6 months to follow up. Therapeutical intervention was based on 40 U of intra nasal elcatonin, the first 24 days of each month, along 6 months. Study evaluations were done in two visits, basal evaluation, where selection criteria, informed consent to participate, sociodemographics variables, diagnosis data, clinical evaluation and QoL measurement were made. The final visit (over 6 months) collected treatment compliance, clinical evaluation, QoL measurement and adverse effects. QoL instrument used was the Spanish version (validated) of OQLQ (Osteoporosis Quality of Life Questionnaire). Results. A significative decrease in pain intensity of 18.53 analogical visual scale (AVS) units was observed, that was confirmed in analgesic consume after elcatonin treatment. A significative improvement in Schöber test, left lateral inflexion and in all QoL dimensions were also observed after the treatment with elcatonin. Conclusions. Analgesic effect of elcatonin improves clinical and quality of life situation, so it has a place in stablished osteoporosis treatment, in port fracture period and in cases of intolerability to other treatments.