Correlation between Thyroid Function and Bone Mineral Density in Elderly People

Investigations regarding the relationship between bone mineral density (BMD) and thyroid function tests even in the normal range are limited. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the relationship between BMD with thyroid function tests in elderly people. This study is a part of a prospective study about health status of the elderly people in Amirkola city (AHAP) which is ongoing from 2011. A total of 1178 people (655 men (55.6%) and 523 women (44.4%)) were enrolled in this study and the TSH, T4 and T3 levels were measured by ELISA method. BMD was assessed by Dual X-ray Energy Absorptiometry (DEXA). Our results demonstrated a significant positive correlation between total T3 and TSH levels with femur density in women (r= 0.068, P= 0.019 and r= 0.122, P= 0.005, respectively). There was also a negative correlation between T4 levels and femur density in men (P=0.034, r= -0.083). Obtained results showed a significant direct correlation between normal levels of TSH and femoral density in elderly females but not in normal elderly males. In addition, there was no significant correlation between normal TSH levels and density of lumbar region in both males and females.