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Subclinical hyperthyroidism increases frailty risk in older men
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The risk for prevalent frailty in older men was increased with presence of subclinical hyperthyroidism, according to recent study findings published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
However, the risk was not extended to older men with subclinical hypothyroidism, according to the researchers.
Douglas C. Bauer, MD, of the department of medicine at San Francisco University Center, and colleagues evaluated data from the MrOS study on 1,455 men (mean age, 73.6 years) to determine the relationship between subclinical thyroid dysfunction and frailty, as well as the five frailty subdomains (sarcopenia, weakness, slowness, exhaustion and low activity).
Douglas C. Bauer
Participants were divided into three groups of thyroid status: subclinical hyperthyroidism (n = 26), subclinical hypothyroidism (n = 102) and euthyroidism (n = 1,327).
Forty-four percent of participants were considered robust at baseline, whereas 46.6% were in the intermediately frail category, and 9.2% were considered frail. Among the five frailty subdomains, 19.9% had sarcopenia, 26% were weak, 19.3% were slow and 19.6% had a low activity level at baseline.
A greater likelihood for frailty was found among participants with subclinical hyperthyroidism at baseline compared with euthyroid participants (adjusted OR = 2.48; 95% CI, 1.15-5.34). No relationship was found between subclinical hypothyroidism and frailty.
Participants younger than 74 years with subclinical hyperthyroidism had an increased risk for frailty and were more likely to be weak compared with euthyroid participants (OR = 3.41; 95% CI, 1.03-11.3).
At the 5-year follow-up, no significant relationship was found between thyroid status and frailty.
“In conclusion, in a population of community-dwelling men, subclinical hyperthyroidism, but not subclinical hypothyroidism, is associated with increased odds of prevalent but not incident frailty,” the researchers wrote. “Future studies with higher prevalence of subclinical hyperthyroidism and subclinical hypothyroidism are needed.” – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: Bauer reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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