Prevalence of various degrees of hypothyroidism among patients of a general medical department.
We have measured basal thyrotropin (TSH) in 945 consecutive patients of a general medical department. Additional thyroid tests were carried out in patients with elevated TSH. Thirty patients (3.1%) had subclinical hypothyroidism, i.e. an elevated TSH with no clinical signs and with a normal free thyroxine index. A cause was found in only fifteen of these thirty patients. Thirteen additional patients (1.37%) had mild or overt primary hypothyroidism, three of which were already diagnosed. This prevalence is three times higher than that found in a retrospective survey at the same hospital. Of the ten newly-detected cases five were discharged on thyroid hormone replacement. In two patients the antithyroid drugs which were the cause of hypothyroidism were discontinued. The remaining three patients had severe non-thyroidal illnesses and thyroid hormone was not prescribed. A cause for the hypothyroidism (autoimmune thyroid disease, post-radioiodine, post-thyroidectomy or antithyroid drugs) was established in all but two cases. The data suggest that thyroid function tests (preferably a TSH) should be performed on any patient with prior treatment to the thyroid and, in addition with very broad indications, perhaps even routinely, in all women over 50 years of age.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013557:Switzerland; D013960:Thyroid Function Tests; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood
D013972:Thyrotropin