Treatment of Childhood Osteoporosis With Alendronate (Fosamax)

Osteoporosis is a rare but serious condition in children. One of the least well understood forms of childhood osteoporosis is idiopathic juvenile osteoporosis. Affected children suffer from pain, decreased activity tolerance, and increased fractures, including vertebral compression fractures. Even mild childhood osteoporosis may have long-term consequences since individuals who achieve a lower peak bone mass during the first 2-3 decades of life may be at increased risk for osteoporosis as adults. Alendronate (Fosamax (Trademark), Merck \& Co.), an aminobisphosphonate, is a potent inhibitor of bone resorption. It has been used to treat postmenopausal osteoporosis, idiopathic male osteoporosis, and glucocorticoid induced osteoporosis in adults. The goal of this protocol is to evaluate the effectiveness of Alendronate in children with glucocorticoid induced and idiopathic juvenile osteoporosis using a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study design. We hypothesize that children treated with this drug will have an improvement in bone mineral density and decrease in osteoporotic fractures.