title: Gender, race and socioeconomic influence on diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disorders in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil).
abstract: Thyroid diseases are common, and use of levothyroxine is increasing worldwide. We investigated the influence of gender, race and socioeconomic status on the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disorders using data from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil), a multicenter cohort study of civil servants (35-74 years of age) from six Brazilian cities. Diagnosis of thyroid dysfunction was by thyrotropin (TSH), and free thyroxine (FT4) if TSH was altered, and the use of specific medications. Multivariate logistic regression models were constructed using overt hyperthyroidism/hypothyroidism and levothyroxine use as dependent variables and sociodemographic characteristics as independent variables. The frequencies of overt hyper- and hypothyroidism were 0.7 and 7.4%, respectively. Using whites as the reference ethnicity, brown, and black race were protective for overt hypothyroidism (OR=0.76, 95%CI=0.64-0.89, and OR=0.53, 95%CI=0.43-0.67, respectively, and black race was associated with overt hyperthyroidism (OR=1.82, 95%CI=1.06-3.11). Frequency of hypothyroidism treatment was higher in women, browns, highly educated participants and those with high net family incomes. After multivariate adjustment, levothyroxine use was associated with female gender (OR=6.06, 95%CI=3.19-11.49) and high net family income (OR=3.23, 95%CI=1.02-10.23). Frequency of hyperthyroidism treatment was higher in older than in younger individuals. Sociodemographic factors strongly influenced the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disorders, including the use of levothyroxine.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitário, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Olmos
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de São João Del-Rei, São João Del-Rei, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: R C de
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Figueiredo
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, BA, Brasil.
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Aquino
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitário, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Lotufo
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitário, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Bensenor
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006980:Hyperthyroidism / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D044469:Racial Groups; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D013974:Thyroxine