The clinical significance of subclinical thyroid dysfunction.
By B. Biondi, D. Cooper. Endocrine reviews, 2008
1,369 citations recorded by the source corpus.
Subclinical thyroid disease (SCTD) is defined as serum free T(4) and free T(3) levels within their respective reference ranges in the presence of abnormal serum TSH levels. SCTD is being diagnosed more frequently in clinical practice in young and middle-aged people as well as in the elderly. However, the clinical significance of subclinical thyroid dysfunction is much debated. Subclinical hyper- and hypothyroidism can have repercussions on the cardiovascular system and bone, as well as on other organs and systems. However, the treatment and management of SCTD and population screening are controversial despite the potential risk of progression to overt disease, and there is no consensus on the thyroid hormone and thyrotropin cutoff values at which treatment should be contemplated. Opinions differ regarding tissue effects, symptoms, signs, and cardiovascular risk. Here, we critically review the data on the prevalence and progression of SCTD, its tissue effects, and its prognostic implications. We also examine the mechanisms underlying tissue alterations in SCTD and the effects of replacement therapy on progression and tissue parameters. Lastly, we address the issue of the need to treat slight thyroid hormone deficiency or excess in relation to the patient's age.
Subfields: Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/94efdcd3a4a8eaddff449a02bbd079cc64841b05
How researchers see this paper
The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.
In Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
Citations in the corpus
- Subclinical Hypothyroidism and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease and Mortality (2010, methodology): “We included only full-text, published longitudinal cohort studies that (1) measured thyroid function with both serum TSH level and thyroxine (T4) level at baseline in adults, (2) followed up participants systematically over time, (3) assessed CHD events and/or mortality, and (4) had a comparison gro”
- Guidelines for the Treatment of Hypothyroidism: Prepared by the American Thyroid Association Task Force on Thyroid Hormone Replacement (2014, neutral): “It is well known that in mild primary hypothyroidism, serum T3 is kept normal in the face of a low serum T4 and mildly elevated TSH (4).”
- Iodine deficiency. (2009, background): “Chronic iodine deficiency increases the TSH concentration and produces a thyroid hormone pattern consistent with subclinical hypothyroidism (45), and subclinical hypothyroidism may be associated with cardiovascular disease risk factors (185).”