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Overt hyperthyroidism confers risk for fractures due to uncompensated bone resorption. The relation between fracture risk and subclinical hyperthyroidism (defined as a normal free thyroxine level and a low thyroid-stimulating hormone [TSH] level) is less clear. In this prospective U.S. study, researchers used a population-based sample of community dwelling people (mean age, 57) to compare 285 people with subclinical hyperthyroidism (mean TSH level, 0.4 mIU/L; in this lab, ≥0.56 mIU/L was defined as normal) and 10,177 euthyroid people. People who took thyroid supplements were excluded.
During a median follow-up of 21 years, 3556 fractures occurred: Rates per 10,000 person-years were 193 in hyperthyroid patients and 166 in euthyroid people. Th…