A Typical Metatarsal Fracture in a Patient on Long-Term Bisphosphonate Therapy

Abstract

Bisphosphonates, more particularly alendronate, are a popular category of drugs in the treatment of postmenopausal and corticosteroid-induced osteoporosis. The present study contends that the long-term consumption of bisphosphonates causes not only subtrochanteric and femoral shaft fractures but also pathological fractures at other musculoskeletal sites. This report presents a rare case of alendronate-induced pathological metatarsal fracture in a 59-year-old female with a history of cuboid fracture following a twisting with abnormal Bone Mineral Density (BMD) (T score: −3.5; lumbar spine and −2.6; proximal femur).