Table 1.

Patients characteristics and biochemical parameters

Women/men (number of patients)	-80/62
Menopausal women (number of patients)	51/80
Age (years)	51.6 ± 11.6
Mean disease duration (years)	9.5 ± 7.1
BMI (mean ± SD)	27.5 ± 5.4
Radiological Stage I/ II/ III/IV/ (number of patients)	15/69/14/41
Dyspnoea Stage NYHA I and II/ NYHA III and IV (number of patients)	118/45
History of low energy fracture (number of patients)	21
Current CS intake (mean dose): 88 patients	12.4 ± 11.8 mg
Mean cumulative CS dose per patient	27.6 ± 19.9 g
Vitamin D supplements (mean dose) in the six months before the study: 31 patients	181,161 ± 137,430 U
BP treatment (mean treatment duration) before study: 46 patients	25.3 ± 26.7 months
Mean serum 25(OH)D level (N >30 ng/ml)	14.5 ± 7.61
Mean serum 1,25(OH)2D level (66 < N <167 pmol/l)	137.4 ± 50.3
Mean serum PTH level (10 < N <70 pmol/l)	45.36 ± 31.4
Mean creatinine clearance (ml/min)	110.7 ± 35.9
Mean serum calcium level (2.2 < N <2.6 mmol/l)	2.35 ± 0.9
Mean ESR (mm/h)	17.6 ± 14.5
Mean CRP (mg/L)	7.0 ± 9.8
Mean ACE (19 < N <41)	51.7

ACE, angiotensin-converting enzyme; BMI, Body mass index; BP, bisphosphonates; CRP, C-reactive protein; CS, Corticosteroids; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; NYHA, New York Heart Association; PTH, parathyroid hormone.