Calcitonin treatment of post-menopausal osteoporosis. Evaluation of efficacy by principal components analysis.

The efficacy of long term treatment of senile osteoporosis by low doses of calcitonin was established using five parameters of calcium kinetics and a quantitative pain scale. Under treatment the calcium balance improved, due predominantly to a decrease in bone resorption associated with an increase in bone accretion and intestinal absorption of calcium. In addition, the hormone had a marked analgesic effect, which increased with the length of the treatment. Principal components analysis enables to establish the value of a therapeutic agent for the management of a progressive disease with period of regression like osteoporosis, for which the eficacy of previously advocated treatments had never been proven.