Quantitative analyses of urinary pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline excretion in patients with hyperthyroidism

It is well established that bone turnover increases and bone resorption exceeds bone formation in patients with hyperthyroidism. Recently, urinary pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline have been employed as indicators of bone resorption. In this study, urinary pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline levels in fourteen female patients with untreated hyperthyroidism were measured and compared with levels in 134 healthy females. Values of urinary pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline were significantly higher than in age-matched controls. Moreover, values of serum free triiodothyronine correlated with urinary pyridinoline (r = 0.769, p < 0.01), and urinary deoxypyridinoline (r = 0.799, p < 0.001) in patients with hyperthyroidism.