title: Thyroid hormone metabolism in patients with congestive heart failure: the low triiodothyronine state.
abstract: Thyroid hormone has multiple effects on the cardiovascular system, ranging from molecular and cellular effects to the consequent hemodynamic alterations. Consequently, thyroid function has been evaluated in small cohorts of patients with advanced heart failure that indicate a significant prevalence of morphologic or functional thyroid disorders. We sought to determine the prevalence of altered thyroid hormone metabolism in a broad spectrum of ambulatory heart failure patients. Thyroid function tests were evaluated in 132 ambulatory patients (98 males, 32 females, mean age, 67 years) with left ventricular systolic dysfunction (EF < 35%) and New York Heart Association (NYHA) class I-IV symptoms. Hypothyroidism was defined as serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) > 4.25 U/mL and low triiodothyronine (T3) state was defined as T3 levels < 80 ng/dL, with normal thyroxine (T4) and TSH level. Seven percent of patients were found to have primary hypothyroidism and 34% have a low T3 state. Of patients receiving amiodarone, 21% had elevated TSH levels and 76% had low T3 levels. The prevalence of abnormal thyroid function correlated with NYHA class. There is an unexpectedly high risk of hypothyroidism and low T3 syndrome in patients regardless of treatment with amiodarone, which appears to correlate with disease severity that requires further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Circulatory Physiology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, USA. dda18@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Deborah D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Ascheim
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hryniewicz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left
chemical_list: D013963:Thyroid Hormones; D014284:Triiodothyronine