TUESDAY, April 9, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with arterial calcification due to deficiency of CD73 (ACDC), etidronate may slow progression of vascular calcification in the lower extremities, according to a study published online April 3 in Vascular Medicine.
Elisa A. Ferrante, Ph.D., from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues examined the safety and effectiveness of etidronate in attenuating the progression of lower-extremity arterial calcification and vascular blood flow. Seven adults with ACDC were enrolled into a single-arm pilot study; participants received etidronate for 14 days every three months and were followed biannually for three years.
The researchers found that the progression of further vascular calcification in the lower extremities as measured by computed tomography was slowed by etidronate treatment, but treatment had no effect on reversing vascular and/or periarticular joint calcifications.
"Despite the small sample size, these results potentially suggest that etidronate, which is still available outside of the United States, could be considered for patients with progressive vascular calcification due to ACDC, particularly given the total lack of any other treatment options for this disease," the authors write. "In addition, the knowledge gained with respect to the natural history, pathology, and clinical presentation of ACDC has been invaluable and will inform the development of novel therapies and larger clinical trials for this and other calcifying vascular diseases."
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