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Prevention of Corticosteroid-Induced Osteoporosis
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
TO THE EDITOR:
Buckley and associates [1] are to be congratulated on their important study evaluating the effectiveness of supplementation with calcium and vitamin D3 in the prevention of corticosteroid-induced bone loss. However, the article contains potentially confusing descriptions of the actual amount of calcium administered to the participants. In at least four separate places, including the abstract and the concluding paragraph, the authors incorrectly state that participants received 1000 mg of calcium carbonate daily. In the Study Design section, they write that “Patients received either calcium carbonate (1000 mg/d) and vitamin D3 (500 IU/d) (two tablets twice a day of Os-Cal 250 + D, SmithKline Beecham Healthcare, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) or an identical placebo.”
According to the label, Os-Cal 250 + D contains 250 mg of elemental calcium per tablet, derived from calcium carbonate. Because calcium carbonate consists of approximately 40% calcium, Os-Cal 250 + D should contain about 625 mg of calcium carbonate per tablet. A dosage of four tablets daily, as was used in this study, would yield an ingestion of 2500 mg of calcium carbonate, providing 1000 mg of elemental calcium. Consuming 1000 mg of calcium carbonate would have resulted in a calcium dose of only 400 mg. The participants in this study apparently received 1000 mg of elemental calcium, not 1000 mg of calcium carbonate. To avoid confusion and potential misinterpretation of results, it is important that calcium quantities be consistently expressed in elemental terms.
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
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