Mortality Risk After Radioiodine Therapy for Hyperthyroidism: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Radioiodine has been increasingly used to treat hyperthyroidism for many years. Although widely regarded as an effective therapy, radioiodine treatment for hyperthyroidism has been suspected to be associated with the risk of mortality. This study aimed to quantify the mortality outcomes in patients who were treated for hyperthyroidism with radioiodine.

Systematic search and meta-analysis were performed to determine the risk of mortality in patients treated with radioiodine for hyperthyroidism. Relevant studies were searched through August 2020 and selected in accordance with the inclusion criteria.

A total of 13 studies were identified. The summary odds ratios (ORs) showed an increased risk of all-cause mortality in patients who were treated with radioiodine for hyperthyroidism (OR = 1.20; 95% CI = 1.07-1.35). The risk of death attributed to all forms of circulatory, respiratory, and endocrine and metabolic diseases was significantly increased, with summary ORs of 1.23 (95% CI, 1.12-1.35), 1.43 (95% CI, 1.17-1.75), and 2.38 (95% CI, 1.85-3.06), respectively. The summary ORs revealed no significant association between radioiodine treatment for hyperthyroidism and the risk of cancer mortality (OR = 1.03; 95% CI, 0.98-1.09). Radioiodine treatment for hyperthyroidism was not associated with the risk of mortality from breast, respiratory system, gastrointestinal, and genitourinary cancers.

Radioiodine treatment for hyperthyroidism is associated with the risk of all-cause mortality but not cancer mortality. Future research needs to address the causes of hyperthyroidism, effects of radioiodine therapy, and potential effects of confounding to identify causality.