Do bone turnover markers reflect changes in bone microarchitecture during treatment of patients with thyroid dysfunction?

PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare changes in the bone turnover markers (BTMs)-C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX-I) and procollagen I N-terminal peptide (PINP)-with changes in the bone microarchitecture, assessed by high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT), during treatment of patients with thyroid dysfunction.

METHODS: In women with newly diagnosed hypo- or hyperthyroidism, HR-pQCT variables, obtained from the tibia and the radius, were compared with BTMs. Data were collected at diagnosis and after at least 12 months of euthyroidism.

RESULTS: 73 women completed the study (hypothyroidism, n = 27; hyperthyroidism, n = 46). Among hyperthyroid patients, correlations were found between changes in BTMs and HR-pQCT variables, primarily for cortical variables in the tibia, i.e. cortical thickness (CTX-I, p < 0.001; PINP, p < 0.001), and volumetric bone mass density (vBMD) (CTX-I, p < 0.001; PINP, p < 0.001). Moreover, correlations between BTMs and estimated bone strength were found. In the hypothyroid subgroup, no significant findings existed after adjustment. Following treatment, less decrease in tibial vBMD was seen among patients with increasing CTX-I compared to those with a decreasing CTX-I level (p = 0.009). Opposite findings applied to PINP, as patients with decreasing PINP showed an increase in tibial vBMD, in contrast to a decline in this parameter among patients with increasing PINP (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: Changes in CTX-I and PINP correlated with HR-pQCT variables during the treatment of women with thyroid dysfunction. To some extent, these BTMs reflected the restoration of bone microarchitecture. CTX-I seems to be the most sensitive BTM in treatment-naïve thyroid diseases, while PINP is more useful for monitoring during treatment.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02005250. Date: December 9, 2013.