Association between Subclinical Hypothyroidism and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease, HASSAN S. EFFAT and NORA ABBAS
Abstract
Background and Introduction: Although established risk factors explain most cardiac risks, significant attention has been focused on alternative biochemical markers to assist in identifying those at risk for coronary heart disease (CHD).
As thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) may represent a novel cardiac risk factor we studied sixty men and women admitted with coronary heart disease to the critical care department of Cairo University between 1-1-2013 to 1-1- 2014. Thirty other patietns free from CHD served as control group (non CHD group). Subclinical hypothyroidism (as high TSH level with normal thyroxine level Free T4) were measured in both groups, together with other established risk factors, and both groups were compared to each other.
Results: Characteristics of the study population showed that the sixty participants in group I has a significantly higher age than the thirty participants in group II with a p-value of 0.024 as regards gender no significant differences were detected between the two groups (p-value 0.353). All established risk factors for CHD were compared between the two groups as blood glucose level, blood urea, total cholesterol level positive criteria of the presence of metabolic syndrome all those risk factors showed that they have a statistically significant differ-ence in group I when compared to group II (p-value <0.05). Other risk factors like tobaccos smoking, positive family history for CHD, lack of weekly physical activity elevated mean arterial blood pressure or history of hypertension and increased body mass index did not show any statistically signifianct difference between the two groups. Free T4 level and TSH level did not show any significant differences when the two groups were compared p-value: >0.05.
Conclusion and Recommendations: From this study and because there was no increase in prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism among CHD patients one can not recommend-ed thyroxine treatment for subclinical hypothyroidism patients to prevent, delay or reverse the process of atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries.