title: Osteoporosis in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism treated with thyroid hormone.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to estimate the prevalence of osteoporosis in patients being treated with thyroid hormone.
  
  
  METHODS
  cross-sectional retrospective study of primary care patients.  EXPERIMENTAL GROUP: patients diagnosed with subclinical hypothyroidism receiving thyroid hormone replacement therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  patients not receiving replacement therapy. Once the sample was selected its members were summoned to complete a clinical questionnaire and undergo a bone density scan with a validated measuring device. The description of qualitative data was done in absolute frequencies and percentages and that of the quantitative data as mean standard deviation, median. In the comparison of qualitative data between groups we used the Chi-square test and contingency tables by rearranging the percentages of several variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  182 patients were studied (112 experimental and 70 control), diagnosed with subclinical hypothyroidism. The average age at diagnosis was 42.5 and 41.2 years, respectively. 32.7% and 33.2% were smokers. In the experimental group the coexistence of two or more cardiovascular risk factors was detected in 5.7% of the patients. Mean TSH was 6.67 mU/L, mean free T(4) 1,04 ng/dl. 67% of the patients studied had some level of bone loss: 87% osteopenia and 14% osteoporosis. 56% of those suffering from bone less were women. With regard to the size of the thyroid hormone treatment, only 12% received 150 μg/day or more. 61% had received treatment for between 5 and 10 years and 19.5% for more than 10 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  there is a high prevalence of bone loss in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism treated with exogenous thyroxin.
authors.affiliation: General Practitioner, Centro de Salud 5 de Albacete Associate Professor of Medicine, Universidad de Castilla la Mancha, Albacete, Spain.
authors.forename: Pedro J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Tárraga López
authors.forename: Carmen Frias
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: Francisco Naharro
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: de Mora
authors.forename: José Antonio Rodríguez
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Montes
authors.forename: Juan Solera
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Albero
authors.forename: Antonio Naharro
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Mañez
authors.forename: Arancha Galvez
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Casas