The serum osteocalcin levels in adult and aged hypothyroid patients.
Osteocalcin (OC) or the bone protein containing gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (BGP or Gla-P), is a specific and sensitive marker of bone turnover. A radioimmunoassay (RIA) system for human osteocalcin was developed with the sensitivity of 0.5 ng/ml. The osteocalcin was measured in sera from 33 hormonally and/or clinically hypothyroid patients: 12 adult and 21 aged patients. For comparison, blood samples were collected from 14 hormonally hyperthyroid adult patients in whom the OC levels were 16.23 +/- 7.57 ng/ml (mean +/- SD) and from hormonally euthyroid adult patients (previously treated hyperthyroid patients) having OC 9.76 +/- 5.32 ng/ml. Abnormal low OC levels were noted in the hypothyroid adult patients group: 1.04 +/- 0.23 ng/ml by comparison to the hypothyroid aged patients 3.76 +/- 2.38 ng/ml (p less than 0.001). Moreover, great variability of the OC serum levels was observed in the aged group, four patients hormonally eu- or hypothyroid having high OC levels in the range: 13.29-55.45 ng/ml and other three patients although hormonally euthyroid but clinically hypothyroid had low OC levels 0.88-2.27 ng/ml. The abnormalities of the OC levels in hypothyroid adult and aged patients are discussed.
Simionescu
L
L
C. I. Parhon Institute of Endocrinology, Bucharest, Romania.
Dumitriu
L
L
Dimitriu
V
V
Zamfir-Grigorescu
D
D
Dumitriu
E
E
Câmpean
G
G
Ionescu
T
T
Purice
M
M
D015055:1-Carboxyglutamic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D015675:Osteocalcin; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000097:blood
D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D014284:Triiodothyronine; D015675:Osteocalcin; D015055:1-Carboxyglutamic Acid; D013974:Thyroxine