Thyroid dysfunction: how to manage overt and subclinical disease in older patients

Thyroid dysfunction is relatively common in older patients, but its clinical presentation varies. It may be obvious from the classic presenting symptoms, or it may be asymptomatic and discovered incidentally during routine testing. The clinical diagnosis of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can be difficult in older patients, because many of the usual symptoms may be mistaken for the effects of aging or other medical conditions. Even so, these diseases in their overt forms are always significant and require treatment. On the other hand, subclinical hypo- and hyperthyroidism are often incidental biochemical abnormalities that may or may not require intervention.