Prevalence of thyroid disorders among the elderly in Israel

The prevalence of thyroid disorders was investigated in 698 elderly people (443 women and 255 men), registered in special family health clinics of the Israel Ministry of Health and in two homes for the aged. The first screening was done by serum thyroxine (total T4) examination, and those with values greater than 150 nmol/l or less than 64 nomol/l underwent further laboratory and clinical evaluation in our endocrinological service. Hypothyroidism was diagnosed in 12 women and 5 men (2.5% of the cohort) and hyperthyroidism in 10 women and 1 man (1.5% of the cohort); thus the prevalence of thyroid disorders among the elderly was 4% in this population.