The following is a summary of “Osteoporosis treatment and pain relief: A scoping review,” published in the July 2023 issue of Pain by Pickering et al.
Osteoporosis (OP) is a common bone disease that can lead to pain and fractures. Anti-OP drugs may help reduce pain in people with OP.
They searched Medline, Pubmed, and Cochrane databases using specific keyword combinations. Inclusion criteria encompassed randomized controlled and real-life English studies with pain as an endpoint, focusing on anti-osteoporosis drugs. Case reports, surveys, comment letters, conference abstracts, animal studies, and grey literature were excluded. Two reviewers extracted data and resolved disagreements through discussion.
The results showed 130 articles, 31 publications meeting the criteria, 12 randomized clinical trials, and 19 observational studies. Pain reduction was evaluated through various tools, including the Visual Analogue Scale, Verbal Rating Scale, Facial Scale, or as a component of quality of life questionnaires such as Short Form 8, 36, Mini-OP, Japanese OP, Qualeffo, and Roland Morris Disability questionnaires. Overall, data indicated that anti-OP drugs might exhibit analgesic effects, potentially linked to their localized action on bone and subsequent modulation of pain sensitization. Significant methodological diversity was observed regarding endpoints, comparators, statistical methods, and follow-up durations.
Investigators concluded that more rigorous trials and more extensive real-life studies are needed to optimize pain relief with anti-OP drugs in OP.
Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejp.2156
