[Serum activity of angiotensin-converting enzyme and osteocalcin levels in hyperthyroidism

This study was carried out in order to investigate serum changes of osteocalcin (BGP) and angiotensin converting enzyme (SACE) activity in a group of patients with hyperthyroidism. We studied 20 hyperthyroid patients (F 14, M 6; age mean 37.5 +/- 16.8 years) and 13 control subjects (F 11, M 2; age mean 40.3 +/- 7.5 years). In both patients and controls we measured: FT3, FT4, T3, T4, TSH, BGP, SACE. Finally, in patients with hyperthyroidism a TRH test and functional investigations were also performed. We observed that mean SACE levels were significantly increased in hyperthyroid patients (32.06 +/- 10.3 nmol/ml/min) in respect to control subjects (14.66 +/- 3.88 nmol/ml/min) (p = 2.02 E-6). Similarly serum BGP levels were significantly increased in hyperthyroid patients (5.94 +/- 2.55 ng/ml) than in control subjects (2.89 +/- 1.58 ng/ml) (p = 5.66 E-4). There was a significant linear correlation between SACE and T4 levels (r = 0.48; p < 0.05), between serum BGP and T4 (r = 0.50; p < 0.02) and furthermore between SACE and BGP (r = 0.57; p < 0.01). In conclusion both serum BGP and SACE levels are increased in patients with hyperthyroidism and are directly correlated between than and with indexes of thyroid function; therefore, they may be regarded as peripheral indexes of hyperthyroidism.