Adherence to denosumab therapy and fracture risk associated with drug withdrawal: a retrospective study


ÖZDEMİR H., Kakilli N., TUNA F., Bulbul B., ÇELİK M., KORKMAZ S., ...Daha Fazla

CROATIAN MEDICAL JOURNAL, cilt.66, sa.5, ss.334-344, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 66 Sayı: 5
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.3325/cmj.2025.66.334
  • Dergi Adı: CROATIAN MEDICAL JOURNAL
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, BIOSIS, Central & Eastern European Academic Source (CEEAS), EMBASE, MEDLINE, Directory of Open Access Journals
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.334-344
  • Trakya Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Aim To assess the prevalence of fragility fractures after denosumab discontinuation and to identify the factors affecting treatment adherence. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 3876 osteoporosis patients who were treated with denosumab at Trakya University Osteoporosis Clinic between 2015 and 2021. A total of 210 patients who received at least two regular doses of denosumab were eligible for inclusion. Patients were categorized as denosumabadherent and denosumab-non-adherent. Adherence was defined as receiving the six-month scheduled dose with a maximum delay of up to eight weeks. Results Overall, 124 (59.05%) patients were denosumabadherent and 86 patients (40.95%) were denosumab-nonadherent. New fragility fractures were identified in 32 patients: 17 in the denosumab-adherent group and 15 in the denosumab-non-adherent group. The groups did not significantly differ in the risk or types of new fractures, irrespective of patients' fracture history. Conclusions Our findings suggest that some fractures after denosumab discontinuation may stem from the natural progression of osteoporosis rather than from the rebound effect. Still, unscheduled treatment discontinuation should be prevented.