Study found greater chances of breaks in hip bones, spinal areas
WebMD News from HealthDay
<h3/> By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter
<h3/> TUESDAY, May 26, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Even people who only have a mildly overactive thyroid gland face an elevated risk for fractures in the hips or spinal area, a new review suggests.
"Subclinical hyperthyroidism" is a condition in which an overactive thyroid gland produces too much of the hormones that control basic metabolism but there is a lack of symptoms, and hormone readings are normal in blood tests.
Past research has shown that more pronounced cases of hyperthyroidism are associated with a raised fracture risk, the reviewers explained. But it hasn't been entirely clear whether the same holds true for milder forms of the condition.
The Swiss reviewers looked at 13 past studies involving more than 70,000 patients to try to answer that question.
"There have been several studies that have previously suggested an increased risk for fractures, but up until now it wasn't clear if it was a real association," explained study author Dr. Nicolas Rodondi, head of the ambulatory care department at Bern University Hospital. "But, based on our work, we can say that it is clear that these patients do have an increased risk for fracture."
But why?
"That is not exactly clear," Rodondi said. "But we know that thyroid hormones have a direct impact on bone metabolism, and increased thyroid function would increase the metabolic impact on bones. So, one explanation is accelerated bone turnover, meaning an increase in bone destruction and re-modeling."
Rodondi and his colleagues published their findings in the May 26 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Among the pool of patients studied, a little more than 3 percent had subclinical hyperthyroidism. Nearly 6 percent had the opposite problem, a condition known as hypothyroidism.
Ultimately, the review team found no link between having an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) and increased fracture risk.
But those with a symptomless but overactive thyroid did appear to face a higher risk for bone breakage in the hip and spinal regions. The finding held up regardless of age or gender, though the research team said it did not have enough data to comment on how race might figure into the equation.
WebMD News from HealthDay
<h3/> By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter
<h3/> TUESDAY, May 26, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Even people who only have a mildly overactive thyroid gland face an elevated risk for fractures in the hips or spinal area, a new review suggests.
"Subclinical hyperthyroidism" is a condition in which an overactive thyroid gland produces too much of the hormones that control basic metabolism but there is a lack of symptoms, and hormone readings are normal in blood tests.
Past research has shown that more pronounced cases of hyperthyroidism are associated with a raised fracture risk, the reviewers explained. But it hasn't been entirely clear whether the same holds true for milder forms of the condition.
The Swiss reviewers looked at 13 past studies involving more than 70,000 patients to try to answer that question.
"There have been several studies that have previously suggested an increased risk for fractures, but up until now it wasn't clear if it was a real association," explained study author Dr. Nicolas Rodondi, head of the ambulatory care department at Bern University Hospital. "But, based on our work, we can say that it is clear that these patients do have an increased risk for fracture."
But why?
"That is not exactly clear," Rodondi said. "But we know that thyroid hormones have a direct impact on bone metabolism, and increased thyroid function would increase the metabolic impact on bones. So, one explanation is accelerated bone turnover, meaning an increase in bone destruction and re-modeling."
Rodondi and his colleagues published their findings in the May 26 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Among the pool of patients studied, a little more than 3 percent had subclinical hyperthyroidism. Nearly 6 percent had the opposite problem, a condition known as hypothyroidism.
Ultimately, the review team found no link between having an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) and increased fracture risk.
But those with a symptomless but overactive thyroid did appear to face a higher risk for bone breakage in the hip and spinal regions. The finding held up regardless of age or gender, though the research team said it did not have enough data to comment on how race might figure into the equation.
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