PubMed · 6688695
Thyroid function and bone turnover.
Abstract
The mechanism of thyroid action on bone was studied in 15 patients with thyrotoxicosis and 14 patients with hypothyroidism. The patients were studied twice: when they were thyrotoxic or hypothyroid and when they had returned to a euthyroid state. Parameters of bone turnover showed a decrease when hyperthyroid patients became euthyroid: serum calcium (2.51 +/- 0.04 vs 2.38 +/- 0.03 mmol/l, P less than 0.05), acid phosphatase (11.7 +/- 0.7 vs 8.3 +/- 0.4 U/l, P less than 0.01), alkaline phosphatase (124 +/- 11 vs 98 +/- 8 U/l, P less than 0.05), the calcium/creatinine ratio (1.03 +/- 0.31 vs 0.43 +/- 0.07, P less than 0.01) and the hydroxyproline/creatinine ratio in the urine (69.9 +/- 12 vs 20.7 +/- 2.4, P less than 0.01). These parameters showed an increase when hypothyroid patients became euthyroid: serum calcium (2.36 +/- 0.03 vs 2.48 +/- 0.04 mmol/l, P less than 0.01), alkaline phosphatase (60 +/- 4 vs 84 +/- 8 U/l, P less than 0.05) and the hydroxyproline/creatinine ratio in the urine (15.9 +/- 4.3 vs 25.3 +/- 3.2, P less than 0.05). Changes in the calcium regulating hormones, parathyroid hormone, calcitonin and vitamin D metabolites, were not observed when hyperthyroid patients became euthyroid. When hypothyroid patients were treated a decrease in serum levels of 1.25-dihydroxyvitamin D (32.6 +/- 4.6 vs 17.9 +/- 2.5 ng/l, P less than 0.01) was observed. Serum growth hormone levels decreased when hypothyroid patients became euthyroid (4.3 +/- 0.5 vs 2.6 +/- 0.4 mU/l, P less than 0.01). The possible mechanisms of thyroid action on bone are discussed. The presented findings are in accordance with a direct effect of thyroid hormones on bone in thyrotoxicosis. An additional factor could be somatomedin, that might also be involved in changes in bone turnover in hyper- and hypothyroidism.
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J W Bijlsma, S A Duursma, J M Roelofs, P J der Kinderen. 1983. Thyroid function and bone turnover.. https://doi.org/10.1530/acta.0.1040042
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