Clinical hyperthyroidism promotes bone resorption without compensatory bone growth, lowering bone density and raising the risk of fracture.

According to a study published in the JAMA Network Open, experts revealed a 34% higher risk of fracture among people with subclinical hyperthyroidism than people with normal thyroid function.

The cohort study included 10946 individuals from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, an ongoing prospective cohort study of people living in communities that were done from 1987 to 1989 and continued till the end of 2019. It was seen that 2.6% of participants had subclinical hyperthyroidism, 4.4% had subclinical hypothyroidism, and 93% of people had normal thyroid function.

The researchers found 3556 incident fractures after a median follow-up of 21 years. Comparing subclinical hyperthyroidism and subclinical hypothyroidism to people with normal thyroid function, the adjusted hazard ratios for fracture were 1.34 (95% CI, 1.09-1.65) for subclinical hyperthyroidism and 0.90 (95% CI, 0.77-1.05) for subclinical hypothyroidism, respectively. Further, it was noticed that thyrotropin concentrations below 0.56 mIU/L were substantially associated with an increased risk of fracture-related hospitalization among people with normal free thyroxine levels. The risk of fracture was also higher in those with lower-than-normal thyrotropin levels.

The study, therefore, contends that subclinical hyperthyroidism constituted a separate risk factor for fracture. Experts highlighted the need for more active screening and monitoring of patients with subclinical hyperthyroidism to prevent bone mineral disorders.

 (Source: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/983771?src=#vp_1)