Clinical variables associated with bone mineral density change of the lumbar spine in patients taking (n = 34) and not taking (n = 42) alendronate sodium.

Abbreviations: CMV, cytomegalovirus infection; DM, diabetes mellitus; HBV, hepatitis B virus infection; HCV, hepatitis C virus infection; NS, not significant (p>0.05). Initially, simple linear regression analysis was performed to identify the variables associated with BMD change in patients taking alendronate sodium and those who were not. HCV infection was negatively associated with BMD change of the lumbar spine in patients not taking alendronate. Age at transplantation was positively associated with BMD change in the lumbar spine in patients taking alendronate. In advanced analysis by multiple linear regression, HCV infection was still the risk factor for adverse BMD change of the lumbar spine in patients without alendronate. No clinical variable was a risk factor for predicting BMD change of the lumbar spine in patients taking alendronate. β (95% CI): Linear regression standardized coefficients (95% confidence intervals).