The authors treated 18 patients with Paget's disease of bone (12 men and 6 women, age 65 +/- 5 years) with pamidronate (bisphosphonate of the second generation). Three patients from this group were treated previously without success with calcitonin or bisphosphonate of the first generation (etidronate) 50% of the patients suffered from the polyostotic form of the disease. In one patient a rare combination of primary hyperparathyroidism with Paget's bone disease was found and in another patient later an osteosarcoma developed in the affected bone. To all patients sodium pamidronate was administered (Aredia, Ciba-Geigy) 30 mg per day by i.v. infusion for 2 hours during three days. Four patients developed fever, two patients phlebitis at the site of injection. These side-effects are described by the manufacturer. Two patients developed transient regional alopecia, not described so far. Subjective pain relief of the affected skeleton occurred in one patient after one month of treatment, after three months in 78%. Laboratory manifestations of activity of the disease (serum activity of alkaline phosphatase, tartrate resistant acid phosphatase and hydroxyprolinuria) declined gradually from the 1st to the 6th month after onset of treatment. There was a less marked decline of the osteocalcin serum concentration. The concentration of calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D metabolites did not change markedly. Twelve months after treatment 14.7% of the patients were inactive according to laboratory tests, 73% however experienced another rise of parameters of osteoresorption and osteoformation. Pamidronate treatment in patients with Paget's disease of bone is effective and safe.

Keywords: Aged; Diphosphonates /therapeutic use/; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Osteitis Deformans /drug therapy/; Pamidronate