Raised serum thyrotrophin in women with peripheral arterial disease.
Women with symptomatic peripheral arterial disease were screened for impaired thyroid function using a sensitive immunoradiometric assay for thyrotrophin (TSH). The arterial disease in the aortotibial segment was documented by an abnormal brachial/ankle pressure index in 80 patients. An age-matched control group of elderly women (n = 30) with a normal pressure index was established. In the control group the mean serum TSH was 1.6 +/- 1.1 milliunits/l, median 1.5 milliunits/l and this established a normal range of 0.2-3.9 milliunits/l. Seven patients (8.8 per cent) were already receiving treatment for myxoedema. In the remaining patients, the overall distribution of serum TSH was skewed to higher levels; the mean was 3.7 milliunits/l, median 2.4 milliunits/l, P less than 0.001 compared with controls and 15 (19 per cent) had a serum TSH greater than 4 milliunits/l, compared with only one (3.3 per cent) of the controls. Therefore 22 patients (28 per cent) had myxoedema or a raised serum TSH. For all subjects with a normal TSH, there was a positive correlation of serum TSH with serum cholesterol, r = 0.68, P less than 0.001. For patients with a raised TSH, there was a continuing, but non-linear, increase of serum cholesterol with TSH. These results suggest that a raised serum TSH may be one of the risk factors for the development of peripheral arterial disease in women, possibly by increasing cholesterol levels.
Department of Surgery, Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, London, UK.
J
J
Powell
J A
JA
Zadeh
G
G
Carter
R M
RM
Greenhalgh
P B
PB
Fowler
D000368:Aged; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007383:Intermittent Claudication / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood*
D013972:Thyrotropin; D002784:Cholesterol