What Researchers Did
Researchers conducted a prospective study with 20 patients receiving hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to investigate its effect on key blood markers related to bone health.
What They Found
They found that one marker, HIF-1α, increased in eight patients from 0.084 ng/mL at the start to 0.146 ng/mL after HBOT (p = 0.028). However, HBOT, administered at 2.4 atmospheres absolute for 90 minutes over an average of 20 sessions, did not cause any significant changes in other important bone health markers like OPG, RANKL, sclerostin, or DKK1. Overall, the study found no evidence that HBOT negatively impacts bone homeostasis.
Canadian Relevance
This study is not Canadian. However, it covers "complications of radiotherapy," which aligns with Health Canada-recognized indications for hyperbaric oxygen therapy, specifically delayed radiation injury.
Study Limitations
A limitation of this study is its small sample size of only 20 patients, which may affect the generalizability of the findings.