Bone mineral density assessment with dexa in hyperthyroid patients who had received radioiodine treatment

Aim: Hyperthyroidism is one of the most common endocrine pathologies in adults. Hyperthyroidism affects bone resorbtion and formation and enhances calcium reabsorbtion from the bone tissue. Therefore hyperthyroidism causes loss of bone mineral density. One of the choices for treatment of hyperthyroidism is radioiodine treatment. There is not enough data the current literature regarding the effects of radioiodine treatment on bone mineral density in hyperthyroid patients who had received radioiodine treatment. In this study, the effects of radioiodine treatment on bone mineral density were evaluated by DEXA.Material and Methods: Thyroid scintigraphy, thyroid functions, and DEXA results of hyperthyroid patients who had received radioiodine treatment in our department were evaluated before and after therapy. Hyperthyroidism was diagnosed by clinical examination, 99mTc pertecnetat scintigraphy, thyroid sonography and measurement of thyroid hormones. Thyroid function tests and bone mineral density results were calculated before and after radioiodine treatment.Results: Forty six patients (31 female, 15 male), with a mean age of 58.4±11.1 were studied. Among hyperthyroidism patients; 3 patients had Graves? disease (%7), toxic nodular goiter was found in 24 patients (%52), and 19 of them suffered from toxic multinodular goiter (%41). Before radioiodine treatment mean TSH was 0.005 IU/ml, fT3 was 12.33 pmol/L, and fT4 was 17.38 pmol/L, baseline mean lumbar spine T score was (-)1.15, lumbar spine Z score was 0.33, lumbar spine bone mineral density 0.99 g/cm2, mean femur T score was (-)1.30, femur Z score was 0, femur bone mineral density was 0.83g/cm². After one year of radioiodine treatment the results were as follows: TSH 1.19 IU/ml, fT3 3.44 pmol/L, fT4 11.33 pmol/L, lumbar spine T score (-)0.85 lumbar spine Z score 0.04, lumbar spine bone mineral density 1.03 g/cm2, femur T score (-)1.0, femur Z score 0.30 and femur bone mineral density were 0.87 g/cm2.Conclusion: Radioiodine treatment can be used successfully in chosen hyperthyroid patients. The decrease that occurs in bone mineral density during hyperthyroidism improves after radioiodine treatment.