Background: Various therapeutic options such as calcitonin have been suggested for patients with low bone density, despite uncertain efficacy in most patients. C-telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX) is a new bone marker used for the assessment of bone resorption. The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of nasal spray calcitonin in women with osteopenia via serum CTX and other laboratory tests.

Methods: We conducted a self controlled clinical trial in 2009 on 105 women of menopausal age diagnosed in Baqiyatallah Hospital Clinic with osteopenia based on a bone mineral density score of 1.5 SD lower than peak bone mass. The patients were assigned to receive nasal spray calcitonin (200 IU/day), calcium (1000 mg/day) and Vit-D (400 IU/day) for 6 months. Serum CTX and other laboratory parameters were measured before and after the treatment. The data were analyzed by SPSS, version 17, using t-tests and a P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: Fifty-two patients completed the study and the mean CTX level decreased significantly from 3.10±2.03 to 2.61±1.82 pmol/lit (P<0.001), but total serum levels of PTH, Ca, AST, ALT and Alkaline Ph decreased insignificantly.

Conclusion: It seems that nasal spray of calcitonin is significantly effective in preventing disease progression and treatment of low bone density by inhibiting bone tissue resorption indicated by CTX although further studies with larger samples sizes and inclusion of control groups are warranted.