title: Subclinical hypothyroidism has little influences on muscle mass or strength in elderly people.
abstract: Sarcopenia, the age-related decline in muscle mass, affects the muscle strength and muscle quality, and these changes decrease functional capacity. The prevalence of thyroid dysfunction increases with age, and changes in thyroid hormone level lead to neuromuscular deficits. We investigated the effects of subclinical hypothyroidism on the muscle mass, strength or quality in elderly people. One thousand one hundred eighteen subjects aged > or = 65 yr were randomly selected from a local population and classified into a euthyroid (280 men and 358 women), subclinically hypothyroid (61 men and 75 women), or overtly hypothyroid (7 men and 16 women) group. Although women with subclinical hypothyroidism had a higher prevalence of sarcopenia, defined according to the ratio of appendicular skeletal muscle mass to the square of height, muscle mass, strength or quality did not differ in relation to thyroid status in men or in women. Multivariate analysis including age, diabetes, hypertension, acute coronary event, alcohol, smoking, presence of pain, physical activity score, and lipid profile, showed that thyroid-stimulating hormone level was not associated with muscle mass, strength or quality. In conclusion, subclinical hypothyroidism has little influences on muscle mass, strength or quality, and may not be associated with sarcopenia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Min Kyong
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: You Jin
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sung Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Soo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Eun Joo
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Jae-Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Nam-Jong
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Paik
authors.forename: Ki Woong
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kyong Soo
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Hak C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Bo Youn
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Young Joo
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000209:etiology; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D055948:Sarcopenia / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012907:Smoking; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires