A common pool used to treat an underactive thyroid may be linked to bone loss, according to a new study. The study will be presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago next week.
Levothyroxine (LT4), the second most commonly prescribed drug in older adults, is a synthetic version of the hormone produced by the thyroid gland. In a study of nearly 450 older adults, including 81 taking levothyroxine, the drug was associated with greater loss of total body bone mass and bone density during a median follow-up of 6.3 years. This was true even though the users’ thyroid hormone levels were in the normal range.
“Our study suggests that even when following current guidelines, levothyroxine use is associated with greater bone loss in older adults,” said Dr. Shadpour Demhari of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, who led the study. Worked, it said in a statement. .
The results showed that levothyroxine use was associated with greater body bone density and bone density loss—even among participants whose TSH levels were within the normal range—over a median follow-up of 6.3 years. during This remained true after adjusting for baseline TSH and other risk factors, the researchers said.
Levothyroxine is a synthetic form of the thyroid hormone thyroxine (T4), used to treat conditions related to low thyroid hormone levels, such as hypothyroidism. It works by replacing or supplementing the natural hormone produced by the thyroid gland, which is essential for regulating the body’s metabolism, energy production, and overall growth.
This drug is also prescribed to people who have a goiter or thyroid cancer, often after thyroidectomy or radioactive iodine treatment, to suppress thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels and prevent recurrence. Took Levothyroxine is available in various dosages and is usually taken orally, preferably in the morning on an empty stomach for optimal absorption.