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The effects of thiazide diuretics on calcium metabolism in the aged

Perry HM, Jensen J, Kaiser FE, Horowitz M, Perry HM, Morley JE

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 1993

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of long-term use of the thiazide diuretic chlorthalidone on serum bone-related biochemical variables in older persons.

DESIGN: Cross-sectional comparison.

SETTING: Community-dwelling subjects who had participated in the Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly (SHEP) program.

PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-six Caucasians (36 male and 30 female), age range 70 to 89 years, of whom 23 were taking a thiazide diuretic.

MEASUREMENTS: 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD), parathyroid hormone, osteocalcin, calcitonin, and serum bioavailable testosterone.

RESULTS: In both groups, there was a high prevalence of low 25 (OHD) levels (30%). Log 25OHD showed a significant inverse relationship to parathyroid hormone (r = .33, P < 0.05). Thiazide users had lower levels of osteocalcin (P < 0.05) and parathyroid hormone levels (P < 0.05) compared with non-thiazide users. Male thiazide users had decreased bioavailable testosterone levels compared with non-thiazide users (P < 0.05). Serum osteocalcin was significantly related to bioavailable testosterone in men not on thiazide (r = .43, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Hypovitaminosis D is a common finding in older individuals with associated elevations in parathyroid hormone. Parathyroid hormone and testosterone concentration (in men) are correlated with serum osteocalcin, a measure of osteoblastic activity. Long-term thiazide use alters these relationships and produces a biochemical profile suggestive of decreased bone formation. Reduced…

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