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Large study links hyperthyroidism, AF
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Patients with hyperthyroidism are at heightened risk for developing atrial fibrillation compared with individuals with normal thyroid function, according to new data published in the British Medical Journal.
A team of researchers in Denmark examined AF risk in relation to the whole spectrum of thyroid disease. The large, population-based cohort study included 586,460 patients (mean age, 50 years) identified using nationwide registries. All had consulted a general practitioner in Copenhagen from 2000 to 2010 and had a thyroid function test.
During follow-up, 3% of the patients had a diagnosis of first AF, 53% of whom were women.
Risk for AF increased with decreasing levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone compared with patients with normal thyroid function. Patients with subclinical hyperthyroidism had a 30% increased risk for AF and patients with high-normal thyroid function had a 12% increased risk, according to a press release.
Hypothyroidism was associated with lower risk for AF, the researchers reported.
“The current study is, to the best of our knowledge, the first to assess the association between the whole spectrum of thyroid disease and the subsequent risk of AF in a population of primary care patients,” researchers wrote in the study. “These results support long-term screening for AF in patients with thyroid disease.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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