Subclinical Hypothyroidism Is Associated With Increased Risk for All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality in Adults

• Published in: Journal of the American College of Cardiology Vol. 60; no. 8; pp. 730 - 737
• Main Authors: Tseng, Fen-Yu, Lin, Wen-Yuan, Lin, Cheng-Chieh, Lee, Long-Teng, Li, Tsai-Chung, Sung, Pei-Kun, Huang, Kuo-Chin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 21.08.2012; Elsevier; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adult; Age Factors; Aged; all-cause mortality; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers - blood; Body Mass Index; Cardiology; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cardiovascular; cardiovascular disease mortality; Cardiovascular Diseases - etiology; Cardiovascular Diseases - mortality; Cholesterol; Cohort Studies; Diabetes Complications - mortality; Endocrinopathies; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Health risk assessment; Humans; Hyperlipidemias - complications; Hypertension - complications; Hypothyroidism - complications; Hypothyroidism - diagnosis; Hypothyroidism - mortality; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Mortality; Non tumoral diseases. Target tissue resistance. Benign neoplasms; Older people; Proportional Hazards Models; Research Design; Risk Factors; Sex Factors; subclinical hypothyroidism; Surveys and Questionnaires; Taiwan - epidemiology; Thyroid. Thyroid axis (diseases); Thyrotropin - blood; Taiwan; RR; T4; IHD; CI; TSH; TCHOL; BP; CVD; HDL-C; all-cause mortality; SCH; subclinical hypothyroidism; cardiovascular disease mortality; CHD; BMI; thyroxine; ischemic heart disease; total cholesterol; high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; blood pressure; cardiovascular disease; body mass index; relative risk; thyroid-stimulating hormone; coronary heart disease; confidence interval; Endocrinopathy; Human; Thyroid diseases; Risk factor; Adult; Cardiovascular disease; Risk; Asymptomatic; Circulatory system; Cardiology; Hypothyroidism
• ISSN: 0735-1097; 1558-3597; 1558-3597
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2012.03.047

This study sought to evaluate the relationship between subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) and all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. SCH may increase the risks of hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis. The associations between SCH and all-cause or CVD mortality are uncertain, on the basis of the results of previous studies. A baseline cohort of 115,746 participants without a history of thyroid disease, ≥20 years of age, was recruited in Taiwan. SCH was defined as a serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level of 5.0 to 19.96 mIU/l with normal total thyroxine concentrations. Euthyroidism was defined as a serum TSH level of 0.47 to 4.9 mIU/l. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to estimate the relative risks (RRs) of death from all-cause and CVD for adults with SCH during a 10-year follow-up period. There were 3,669 deaths during the follow-up period; 680 deaths were due to CVD. Compared with subjects with euthyroidism, after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, alcohol consumption, betel nut chewing, physical activity, income, and education level, the RRs (95% confidence interval) of deaths from all-cause and CVD among subjects with SCH were 1.30 (1.02 to 1.66), and 1.68 (1.02 to 2.76), respectively. Adult Taiwanese with SCH had an increased risk for all-cause mortality and CVD death.