Article
Nasal complications involving the use of a calcitonin nasal spray for osteoporosis
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Published: | August 8, 2007 |
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Calcitonin in the form of nasal spray is widely used for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis as well as for other skeletal diseases. Generally it has low percentage of side-effects that are usually mild and of local character. We present two cases of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis being treated with intranasal calcitonin in which a septum perforation and a septum-concha synechiae led the patients to our ENT department. These lesions after clinical and laboratory examination were attributed to the use of intranasal calcitonin. A questionnaire submitted to a greater number (n=238) of women undergoing treatment with calcitonin, as well as nasal cytology showed inflammatory changes of nasal mucosa in those patients who gave a positive answer for intranasal side-effects. We review the literature on nasal calcitonin use and discuss the possible mechanisms causing local side-effects.
(Literature from the corresponding author)