title: Thyroid function and serum electrolytes: does an association really exist?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Thyroid hormone is a central regulator of body functions. Disorders of thyroid function are considered to be a cause of electrolyte disorders. Only few data on the association between thyroid function and electrolyte disorders exists.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the present retrospective analysis data from all patients admitted to the Department of Emergency Medicine of a university hospital who had measurements of thyroid function (TSH, fT(3), fT(4)) and electrolytes were included.
  
  
  RESULTS
  9,012 patients with measurement of TSH and electrolytes were available. 86% of patients had normal, 4% suppressed and 10% elevated TSH. Serum sodium was significantly lower in patients with high TSH levels (p <0.01). There was a significant correlation between serum TSH and phosphate level (p <0.05). Phosphate levels were higher in patients with elevated TSH than in patients with normal TSH (p <0.01). Serum calcium and magnesium correlated significantly with TSH (p <0.05). fT(3) levels correlated significantly with calcium (p <0.05). Hyponatraemia was present in 14% of patients with high TSH and was significantly more common than in the group with normal TSH levels of which 9% had hyponatraemia (p <0.01). Hypokalaemia was more common in the group with elevated TSH than in those with normal TSH (14 versus 11%, p = 0.016). Hyperkalaemia was more common in the group with high TSH levels (7%) than in those with normal TSH (7 vs. 4%, p <0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An association between thyroid function and electrolyte disorders seems to exist, although it is probably only relevant in marked hypo-/hyperthyroidism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Medical University of Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schwarz
authors.forename: Alexander Benedikt
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Leichtle
authors.forename: Spiros
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arampatzis
authors.forename: Georg Martin
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Fiedler
authors.forename: Heinz
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.forename: Aristomenis Konstantinos
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Exadaktylos
authors.forename: Gregor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lindner
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006955:Hypernatremia / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology; D007008:Hypokalemia / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology; D007010:Hyponatremia / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013557:Switzerland; D013960:Thyroid Function Tests; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood* / Q000502:physiology; D014883:Water-Electrolyte Imbalance / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*
chemical_list: D013972:Thyrotropin