The Journal of Korean Society of Menopause  2012;18(3):193-198

doi:10.6118/jksm.2012.18.3.193

The Association between Subclinical Hypothyroidism and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Post-menopausal Women.

Oh Sung KWON 1 ; Jin Hee KIM ; Soo Hyun CHO ; Hyoung Moo PARK ; Eun Ju SUNG

Affiliations

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Keywords

Cardiovascular diseases; Hypothyroidism; Middle aged; Postmenopause; Triglycerides

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

Korean

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The relationship between subclinical hypothyroidism and cardiovascular disease has not yet been clearly defined. This study will investigate whether or not there is a difference in the prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism in menopausal women with respect to cardiovascular risk factors, and will furthermore analyze the relationship between cardiovascular diseases and subclinical hypothyroidism, in order to establish a foundation for subclinical hypothyroidism research. METHODS: The study subjects consisted of 713 post-menopausal women, who visited the hospital for a health check-up in 2006-2010. They were divided into a subclinical hypothyroidism group and a normal group. This study analyzed the difference in blood pressure, serum lipid, body mass index (BMI) and blood glucose level between the two groups. The data was analyzed using a two-sample t-test. RESULTS: The prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism for menopausal women was 6.7%. The results showed no significant differences between the normal and subclinical hypothyroidism patient groups, in regards to blood pressure, BMI, and blood glucose levels (P > 0.05). However the triglyceride of serum lipid was significantly higher in the subclinical hypothyroidism group (P = 0.003). CONCLUSION: It has been confirmed that the triglyceride of the subclinical hypothyroidism group was higher than that of the normal group, and so serum lipid maintenance and caution towards cardiovascular disease is necessary for the subclinical hypothyroidism group.