ArticleBMC endocrine disorders2026
The effect of replacement versus suppressive doses of levothyroxine on bone mineral density.
Article in BMC endocrine disorders, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundLong-term thyroid hormone therapy raises concerns regarding potential adverse effects on bone health, including osteopenia and osteoporosis. We investigated the impact of levothyroxine therapy administered at either replacement or suppressive doses on bone mineral density (BMD) compared with healthy controls in young adults.
methodsThis cross-sectional study included 122 participants aged 20–50 years, in the three groups. Group 1 comprised 40 patients with hypothyroidism who had been treated with a replacement dose of levothyroxine for 3–5 years. Group 2 included 40 patients with thyroid cancer receiving a suppressive dose of levothyroxine for 3–5 years. Group 3 consisted of 42 healthy individuals as the control group. BMD was assessed in all participants using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and results were compared across the groups.
resultsThe mean femur Z-score was 0.74 ± 1.09 in the control group, 0.41 ± 0.73 in the replacement dose group, and − 0.43 ± 1.13 in the suppressive dose group. Statistical analysis demonstrated a significant difference in BMD between the suppressive dose group and the other two groups. Moreover, the prevalence of low bone density was markedly higher in patients receiving suppressive doses compared with those in both the replacement and control groups (P = 0.002).
conclusionsOur findings indicate that long-term use of suppressive doses of levothyroxine is associated with an increased risk of reduced bone mass in thyroid cancer patients. In contrast, replacement doses in hypothyroid patients did not adversely affect bone density. We therefore recommend routine bone densitometry for patients undergoing suppressive therapy, regardless of age, enabling early detection and management of bone loss. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.