Thyroid drugs may raise risk of Fracture in elderly (HealthDay)

many seniors may be at increased risk of fractures because they are "excessive" doses of drugs used to treat thyroid gland problems, a new study said.

The results suggest that the objectives of the treatment must be modified in elderly patients with thyroid gland problems and that it is essential in the advanced age of regular dose of thyroid medication monitoring, researchers said.

Reports in the online edition of April 28 of the BMJ, they examined the connection between fractures and levothyroxine, a synthetic form of thyroid hormone, which is widely used to treat a lazy of the thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).

Many patients with hypothyroidism is diagnosed in early or middle adulthood. Even if their processing requirements change with age, many patients still on the same dose of drug. This can lead to excess of thyroid hormone, which increases the risk of fractures, especially among older women, said the authors of the study.

They analyzed data more from 213,500 patients aged 70 years or more, in the province of Ontario, the Canada, who completed at least a levothyroxine order between April 1, 2002 and March 31, 2007. During the study period, more than 22,000 (10.4%) patients suffered at least a fracture.

Past and current users (who had arrested drug 15 to 180 days before the start of the study) had a significantly higher than the "remote" users risk of fracture (which had ceased the use of the drug more than 180 days before the start of the study).

Among current users, those who have high or average drug doses were much more likely to suffer fractures than those taking a low dose.

"Our results provide evidence that levothyroxine treatment may increase the risk of fractures of frailty in the elderly even at conventional doses, suggesting that closer monitoring and modification of the objectives of the treatment may be justified in this vulnerable population""," concluded Lorraine Lipscombe, researcher at the Institute for research of College Torontoet women colleagues.

An expert was not surprised by the findings.

"It has long been known that high or excessive use of levothyroxine dose predispose [persons] to an increase of osteoporosis and fracture risk," said Dr. Irwin Klein, Director of the unit of the thyroid and Associate Chairman of the Department of medicine at North Shore-LIJ to ManhassetN.Y health system. "more, this study confirms this conclusion in a population of women who are inherently at risk for this occurrence."

Klein also noted that the study highlights the need for preventive action.

"As the authors conclude, it is important to monitor the blood tests of thyroid - especially the levels of TSH - to prevent this potential undesirable burden," he said.