title: The aging thyroid.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  As life expectancy increases and population age advances, diagnosis and treatment of diseases common in the geriatric population assume an increasingly important role in modern medicine. In the last few years, the emergence of age-specific reference ranges for thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) has added to the complexity of diagnosis of thyroid dysfunction in this age group, especially in the 'subclinical' category.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The recent studies confirm an increase in population TSH distribution with age, both in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Conclusive evidence about adverse cardiovascular, metabolic, and cognitive consequences of subclinical hypothyroidism in the elderly remains elusive. The transient nature of subtle degrees of thyroid dysfunction in a significant proportion of elderly patients has also been reproduced in the recent publications.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A growing body of literature in the last few years, reviewed here, highlights the importance of employing additional caution before assigning diagnoses of hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism to elderly patients and initiation of treatment modalities that can have long-lasting effects.
authors: Department of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10467, USA. vtabatab@montefiore.org
authors: Vafa
authors: V
authors: Tabatabaie
authors: Martin I
authors: MI
authors: Surks
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D058070:Asymptomatic Diseases; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D013960:Thyroid Function Tests; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000502:physiology*; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000097:blood; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D013963:Thyroid Hormones; D013972:Thyrotropin