Thyroid Hormone Use in the United States, 1997-2016

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Public Health
• Health Economics

Background:

• Thyroid disorders are a prevalent condition within the US healthcare system.
• Recent years have seen an increase in thyroid hormone prescriptions, but demographic trends and expenditure changes remain unclear.
• Existing research has not comprehensively analyzed shifts in thyroid hormone use across different demographics or medication spending.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze trends in adult thyroid hormone use based on demographic factors (age, sex, race) from 1997 to 2016.
• To evaluate changes in healthcare expenditures for various thyroid hormone medications over the same period.
• To identify demographic groups with differential increases in thyroid hormone utilization.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (1997-2016).
• Calculated the proportion of adults using thyroid hormone prescriptions, stratified by age, sex, and race.
• Determined expenditures for thyroid hormone prescriptions, categorizing by medication type (generic, brand-name like Synthroid/Cytomel).

Main Results:

• Adult thyroid hormone use rose from 4.1% to 8.0% between 1997 and 2016.
• Increased use was most pronounced in adults over 65, females, and non-Hispanic whites.
• Thyroid hormone expenditures surged from $1.1 billion to $3.2 billion, with generic prescriptions increasing significantly from 18.1% to 80.8%.

Conclusions:

• Thyroid hormone utilization nearly doubled over two decades, with notable increases in older, female, and non-Hispanic white populations.
• Healthcare spending on thyroid hormones nearly tripled during the study period.
• These findings highlight significant shifts in the epidemiology and economics of thyroid hormone therapy.