Triiodothyronine stimulates urinary excretion of calcium and hydroxyproline in autosomal dominant osteopetrosis.

Six patients with autosomal dominant osteopetrosis were treated orally with 100 mcg. triiodothyronine (T3) daily for seven days. The effect of T3 on bone remodelling was monitored. T3 treatment increased serum T3 from day 1 to 7 (p less than 0.02) with a corresponding fall in serum T4 (p less than 0.01) and serum TSH (p less than 0.02). The levels of thyroid hormones returned to initial levels within the observation period. The renal excretion of calcium and hydroxyproline increased significantly (p less than 0.05) on day 7 and 14 respectively, while there was no significant increase in phosphate excretion. No significant changes were observed in serum calcium, phosphate, or osteocalcin during the study. The observed changes suggest that bone resorption in autosomal dominant osteopetrosis is stimulated by exogenous administration of T3.