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Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Patients with Subclinical Hypothyroidism: A Prospective Controlled Study

Anally J Soto-García1, Guillermo Elizondo-Riojas2, Rene Rodriguez-Gutiérrez3

  • 1Endocrinology Division, Facultad de Medicina y Hospital Universitario "Dr. Jose Eleuterio Gonzalez", Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Monterrey, Mexico. email@email.com.

Clinical and Investigative Medicine. Medecine Clinique Et Experimentale
|January 3, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is linked to increased carotid intima-media thickness, a cardiovascular risk marker. Levothyroxine treatment reversed this thickening in SCH patients.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Cardiology
  • Vascular Biology

Background:

  • Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is a condition with elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels but normal free thyroid hormone levels.
  • The association between SCH and cardiovascular risk, especially with TSH <10 µIU/ml, is debated.
  • Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) is a validated marker for subclinical atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between SCH and cardiovascular risk using CIMT.
  • To evaluate the effect of levothyroxine treatment on CIMT in patients with SCH.

Main Methods:

  • A study included 54 participants: 18 with SCH, 18 with overt hypothyroidism (OH), and 18 healthy controls (HC).
  • Carotid intima-media thickness was measured in all groups.
  • Patients with SCH were followed up at three and six months after initiating levothyroxine treatment.

Main Results:

  • The mean TSH in the SCH group was 6.15 µIU/ml.
  • CIMT was significantly greater in the SCH group compared to the HC group in both the right common carotid artery (RCCA) and left common carotid artery (LCCA).
  • Levothyroxine treatment led to a significant decrease in CIMT in SCH patients at three and six months.

Conclusions:

  • Increased CIMT is associated with SCH, even with TSH levels below 10 µIU/ml.
  • Levothyroxine therapy effectively reduced CIMT in patients with SCH.
  • Further research is needed to determine if this increased CIMT in SCH correlates with major cardiovascular events.
Abstract

Keywords:
carotid intima-media thicknesssubclinical hypothyroidismclinical studylevothyroxine treatmentcardiovascular risk

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