Endocrine Abstracts

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the commonest dysrhythmia (after sinus tachycardia) complicating hyperthyroidism. We have previously reported increased vascular mortality in hyperthyroidism and postulate this reflects the prevalence of AF. We recruited a consecutive series of 425 subjects with overt hyperthyroidism (n=334 females, 91 males) and determined the prevalence and outcome of AF. All had 12 lead ECG and 24h Holter monitoring before and after antithyroid treatment with thi...

Thyrotoxicosis is a common disorder which induces many cardiovascular effects and is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality. We recruited 283 consecutive unselected thyrotoxic subjects attending our thyroid clinic and 283 age and sex-matched euthyroid controls. All completed a structured cardiovascular history and examination, resting 12-lead ECG and 24-hour Holter recording. Follow up data on mortality was collected for a year. The median age of the cohorts was 49...

Background: Abnormalities of cardiac autonomic function may contribute to excess vascular mortality reported in treated hyperthyroidism.Aim: To evaluate cardiac autonomic function in hyperthyroidism before and after effective anti-thyroid therapy.Methods: 405 consecutive unselected patients with hyperthyroidism were recruited with 405 age- and sex-matched euthyroid controls for matched comparisons; all had 24-hour Holter monitoring. Patients were reassessed when render...

We conducted a prospective study of 5784 subjects aged 65 or over, screened and identified in primary care. The cohort comprised 2934 women, 2850 men, mean age 73.5 years (range 63.5-98.6). All had TSH measured in a sensitive assay (normal range 0.4-5.5 mU/l), as well as free T4 (normal range 9-20 pmol/l), and resting 12-lead ECG. Atrial fibrillation (AF) was present in 4.81% of the cohort. The prevalence of AF showed significant variation with serum TSH concentrations, being ...

Thyroid dysfunction is common, particularly in the elderly, and has an important impact on morbidity and mortality, especially in this age group.Aim: We have investigated associations between thyroid function, presence of atrial fibrillation and cognitive function in a large general practice-based study conducted from December 2002-November 2004. Subjects with a previous history of thyroid disease or currently taking thyroxine or anti-thyroid drugs were ...