Abstract
BackgroundHypothyroidism has been linked with an increased risk of other morbidities, such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus. However, the temporal relationship between these diseases and the diagnosis of hypothyroidism is not well illuminated. Such information may provide insight into causal relationships between hypothyroidism and other morbidities.AimTo investigate the type and extent of somatic morbidity before and after a diagnosis of hypothyroidism.MethodsObservational cohort study. From official Danish health registers, 2822 hypothyroid singletons were identified and matched 1:4 with non-hypothyroid controls and observed over a mean period of 6 years. Frequency of different morbidities was obtained by person-to-person linking in the registers. Logistic and Cox regression models were used to assess the risk of morbidity before and after the diagnosis of hypothyroidism, respectively.ResultsPrior to the diagnosis of hypothyroidism there was a significantly increased risk of being diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases (odds ratio (OR) 1.37; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.19–1.58), lung diseases (OR 1.25; 95% CI: 1.13–1.39), diabetes mellitus (OR 1.92; 95% CI: 1.61–2.29), as well as malignant diseases (OR 1.24; 95% CI: 1.06–1.45). Following the diagnosis of hypothyroidism there was a significantly increased risk of being diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases (hazard ratio (HR) 1.36; 95% CI: 1.15–1.60); lung diseases (HR 1.51; 95% CI: 1.30–1.75); and diabetes mellitus (HR 1.40; 95% CI: 1.11–1.77).ConclusionsPrior to the diagnosis of hypothyroidism there is an excess risk of being diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases, lung diseases, diabetes mellitus, and malignant diseases. Following the diagnosis of hypothyroidism we demonstrate an increased frequency of cardiovascular diseases, lung diseases, and diabetes mellitus.
Highlights
Hypothyroidism is a common endocrine disorder, with a prevalence of 1–2% [1]
Following the diagnosis of hypothyroidism there was a significantly increased risk of being diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases (hazard ratio (HR) 1.36; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.15–1.60); lung diseases (HR 1.51; 95% CI: 1.30–1.75); and diabetes mellitus (HR 1.40; 95% CI: 1.11– 1.77)
Prior to the diagnosis of hypothyroidism there is an excess risk of being diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases, lung diseases, diabetes mellitus, and malignant diseases
Summary
Hypothyroidism is a common endocrine disorder, with a prevalence of 1–2% [1]. The development of hypothyroidism is influenced by a number of factors such as: gender [1], genetic predisposition [2], and environmental contributors like smoking [3,4,5]. Hypothyroidism has been associated with symptoms of cardiac dysfunction, such as reduced exercise tolerance and dyspnea on effort [9,10], as well as overt cardiovascular diseases [11,12]. Hypothyroidism has been linked with an increased frequency of a variety of other conditions, such as lung diseases [13], diabetes mellitus [14,15], and rheumatic diseases [16]. Hypothyroidism has been linked with an increased risk of other morbidities, such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus. The temporal relationship between these diseases and the diagnosis of hypothyroidism is not well illuminated. Such information may provide insight into causal relationships between hypothyroidism and other morbidities
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