4.5. Measurement of BMD 
The whole-body BMD was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) using a Lunar Prodigy Primo device (GE Healthcare, Chicago, IL, USA) with the Encore v.1 Windows XP software platform. The measurements were performed at baseline and after 12 months of treatment. The device was regularly calibrated before each diagnostic block and all DXA scans were clinically performed in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations.