Early postmenopausal bone loss in hyperthyroidism

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of hyperthyroidism on bone in relation t o the menopausal state. Methods: Fifty-nine hyperthyroid HYPER), 40 hypothy roid (HYPO), and 51 control euthyroid (EUTH) women were studied. Bone miner al density (BMD) was assessed by dual X-rays absorptiometry (DXA) at the lu mbar spine, and at the femoral neck. A multi-site QUS device evaluated spee d of sound (SOS) at the radius (RAD), tibia (TIB), metatarsus (MTR), and ph alanx (PLX). Bone markers used were serum bone specific alkaline phosphatas e (BSAP) and urinary deoxypyridinoline (DPD). Results: At all sites, SOS wa s lower in HYPER than in EUTH (RAD P < 0.05, TIB P < 0.01, MTR P < 0.05, PL X P = 0.01). The low SOS was only noted at the early postmenopausal period. BMD at the femoral neck but not at the lumbar spine was lower in HYPER as compared to EUTH (P < 0.05). Both femoral neck and tibia were the sites wit h the highest odds ratio for being hyperthyroid (2.3 and 2.04, respectively ), There was no correlation between BMD or SOS and FT4, TT3 or duration of hyperthyroidism. BSAP and DPD positively correlated with FT4 and TT3 (P < 0 .05), Conclusions: This study suggests that hyperthyroidism affects bone mi neralization especially during the early postmenopausal period, and the eff ect is mainly at the cortical bone. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.