Rapid Response

When the Thyroid is Sick, the Heart is Broken

Authors: Shirwan A. Mirza, MD, FACP, FACE

Abstract

To assess the relationship between mild thyroid dysfunction and the incidence of death in cardiac patients, Iervasi et al evaluated 3,121 cardiac patients with euthyroidism, subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH), subclinical hyperthyroidism (SCT), and low triiodothyronine syndrome (low T3). After mean follow-up of 32 months, there were 65 and 140 cardiac and overall deaths (3.4% and 7.3%), respectively, in euthyroidism, 15 and 27 (7.2% and 13.0%) in SCH, 8 and 9 (8.2% and 9.2%) in SCT, and 59 and 119 (6.5% and 13.1%) in low T3.

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