[Thyroid function tests in a sample of hospitalized patients]

In a sample of hospitalized patients, serum levels of T3, T4 and TSH were measured on the next day after admission. We included 26 patients admitted to Internal Medicine ward (group I) and 27 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (group II), comparing the results with those of 25 normal volunteers (group I). Mean values of T3 and T4 tend to be lower in patients than in healthy subjects, especially in those patients more aggravated, but differences were not statistically significant. In group II there were 5 patients with low T3, 4 with low T4 and two with both alterations. In group III, two patients had low T3, three had low T4 and 10 had both low T3 and low T4. The ratio between normal and abnormal results was significantly different between sick and healthy individuals, and between patient in the intensive care unit and the Internal Medicine ward, suggesting a correlation with gravity. 52.8% of patients hospitalized studied showed almost one alteration in the thyroid function tests.