An overactive thyroid — even one working in the high-normal range — may put some people at risk for death from heart disease, researchers found.
In a retrospective Danish cohort study, patients with subclinical hyperthyroidism had a 24 percent increased risk of cardiovascular death, Christian Selmer, MD, of Gentofte University Hospital in Denmark, and colleagues reported at the European Congress of Endocrinology meeting in Copenhagen.
Those who had high-normal levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) also had a 21 percent increased risk of death from heart disease.
"I think that the take-home message is that if a person has a family history with any thyroid problem, or has any signs of thyroid problems, then they should go for a check-up," Selmer said in a statement. "More than that, their family doctors need to be aware that any sign of thyroid abnormality can affect cardiovascular health, and they should act accordingly."
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