Does Graves' disease during puberty influence adult bone mineral density?
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the bone mineral density at lumbar spine and at femoral neck in a group of young adults in whom Graves' disease developed during childhood and adolescence.


METHODS
We examined 28 patients (5 male, 23 female, age 20.9 +/- 3.3 years) who were 11.8 +/- 2.9 years old at the onset of Graves' disease. They were treated either with methimazole (14 patients) or with methimazole plus l-thyroxine (14 patients). At the time of the investigation, 13 patients were considered cured following antithyroid treatment, 2 were still on antithyroid drugs, 3 were on replacement therapy with l-thyroxine because of hypothyroidism, and 10, treated either surgically or with (131)I, were on replacement therapy. The bone mineral density was measured at the lumbar spine (L2-L4) and at the femoral neck, using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.


RESULTS
The spinal bone mineral density SD score was -0.28 +/- 1.02, the femoral neck bone mineral density SD score was 0.36 +/- 1.02, and both were not different from zero (NS). We did not find any correlation between the bone mineral density of the femoral neck and that of the lumbar spine and the clinical parameters.


CONCLUSIONS
Graves' disease, beginning in childhood and adolescence, when appropriately treated, does not affect attainment of peak bone mass.
D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015519:Bone Density; D005260:Female; D005272:Femur Neck; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D008297:Male; D008713:Methimazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011627:Puberty; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000627:therapeutic use
D008713:Methimazole; D013974:Thyroxine