Prevalence of fractures in postmenopausal women with thyroid disease.

We interviewed 300 white postmenopausal women (160 with thyroid disease, 140 without thyroid disease) to investigate whether having thyroid disease or taking thyroid hormone increased the prevalence of having a hip, vertebral, or forearm fracture. Thirty-seven (23%) women with thyroid disease and 45 (32%) women without thyroid disease had had a fracture, and there were no significant differences between these groups in the number or type of fractures. Dose of thyroid hormone and duration of therapy or disease did not affect fracture occurrence in women with thyroid disease. Women with a history of hyperthyroidism (9 of 32) or thyroid cancer (2 of 11) appeared to have their first fracture earlier (p < 0.01) than women without thyroid disease. In summary, women taking thyroid hormone for a variety of thyroid disorders do not appear to have an enhanced prevalence of a hip, vertebral, or forearm fractures, but women with a history of hyperthyroidism may have a propensity for their fractures to occur earlier in life.