Table 1.
Prevalence of overt and subclinical hypothyroidism in elderly people
| Reference | Place | Sample | Age of participants | Measurementsa | Prevalence (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flatau et al19 cross-sectional | Israel Kibbutz members |
751 (289 men and 462 men) | ≥65 years Range: 65–92 years |
TSH (>4.5 mIU/L), FT4 (14 to 28 pmol/L) | Overt and subclinical in men: 9.7% Overt and subclinical in women: 18.2% 38% of all hypothyroid subjects presented subclinical hypothyroidism |
| Cappola et al20 cohort study | US, community dwelling individuals | 3233 (1307 men and 1926 women) | ≥65 years | TSH (>4.5 mIU/L), FT4 (not informed) | Overt: 1.6% Subclinical: 15.0% |
| Gussekloo et al21 cohort study | The Netherlands, population based | 558 (189 men and 369 women) | ≥85 years | TSH (>4.8 mIU/L) FT4 (<13 pmol/L) |
Overt: 7.0% Subclinical: 5.0% |
| Wilson et al22 cross-sectional | United Kingdom, community sample registered with 20 family practices | 5960 (2892 men and 2980 women) | ≥65 years | TSH (>5.5 mIU/L), FT4 (<9 pmol/L), FT3 (<3.5 pmol/L) | Overt: 0.4% (men 0.4% and women 0.4%) Subclinical: 2.9% (men 2.0% and women 3.7%) |
| Diaz-Olmos et al23 | Brazil, women at workplace | 314 | ≥40 years Mean age: 47.6 years |
TSH (>4.0 mIU/L), FT4 (<10 pmol/L) | Overt: 3.5% Subclinical: 7.3% |
| Bensenor et al24 cross-sectional | Brazil population-based | 1373 (538 men and 835 women) | ≥65 years-old | TSH (>5.0 mIU/L), FT4 (<10 pmol/L) | Overt Men: 5.4% Women: 5.9% Subclinical Men: 6.1% Women: 6.7% |
Abbreviations: TSH, thyrotropin or thyroid stimulating hormone; FT4, free-thyroxine; FT3, free-triiodothyronine.
Note:
a
Measurements (cut-off points for diagnosis of overt hypothyroidism).