Thyroid : official journal of the American Thyroid Association
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Comparative Study
Hyperthyroidism, Hypothyroidism, and Cause-Specific Mortality in a Large Cohort of Women.
The prevalence of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism is 0.5-4% in iodine-replete communities, but it is 5-10 times higher in women than in men. Those conditions are associated with a broad range of metabolic disorders and cardiovascular diseases. Biological evidence of a role of thyroid hormones in carcinogenesis also exists. However, the association between thyroid dysfunction and cardiovascular disease or cancer mortality risk remains controversial. In a large cohort of women, the associations of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism with cause-specific mortality were evaluated after nearly 30 years of follow-up. ⋯ The excess mortality risks observed in a large, prospective 30-year follow-up of patients with thyroid dysfunction require confirmation, and, if replicated, further investigation will be needed because of the clinical implications.