The Aging Thyroid
Increased Prevalence of Elevated Serum Thyrotropin Levels in the Elderly
- Clark T. Sawin, MD;
- Deepak Chopra, MD;
- Fereidoun Azizi, MD;
- Jo Ellen Mannix;
- Pamela Bacharach
Abstract
Of 344 relatively healthy persons older than 60 years, 22 (5.9%) had a clearly elevated level of serum thyrotropin (TSH) (>10 μU/mL), a finding more common in women than in men. Ten of the 22 had low values for serum thyroxine (T4) and free T4 (FT4) index, but only one had a low value for serum triiodothyronine (T3) or free T3 (FT3) index. A further 14.4% had a slightly elevated level of serum TSH (>5≤10 μU/mL), but none had low values for serum T4 or FT4 index. Age alone has little effect on the measurements of T4; age is associated with slightly lower T3 levels, but only in men 60 years or older or in women 80 years or older. Longitudinal studies should determine if a slightly elevated serum TSH rises further with age and if there is a causal relationship between a high level of serum TSH and cardiovascular disease.
(JAMA 242:247-250, 1979)
Footnotes
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Reprint requests to Boston Veterans Administration Hospital, 150 S Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02130 (Dr Sawin).
