Thyroid dysfunction and mortality in cardiovascular hospitalized patients

Background Thyroid dysfunction (TD) is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Early detection may influence the clinical management. Objective To determine the prevalence, predictors, and prognostic value of TD among hospitalized cardiac patients. Methods A retrospective analysis of a 12-year database consisting of nonselectively adult patients admitted to a Cardiology Department and who were all screened for serum thyroid-stimulation-hormone (TSH) levels . Statistical analysis of demographic and clinical characteristics, mortality and length of hospital stay (LOS) was performed. Results A total of 14369 patients were included in the study; mean age was 67 years, 38.3% females. 1465 patients (10.2%) had TD. The most frequent type of TD was mildly elevated TSH (5.4%) followed by mildly reduced TSH (2.1%), markedly elevated TSH (1.5%), and markedly reduced TSH (1.2%). Female gender, history of hypothyroidism, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, renal failure and amiodarone use were significantly associated with TD. During follow-up 2975 (20.7%) patients died. There was increased mortality in the mildly reduced TSH subgroup (hazard ratio [HR] =1.44), markedly elevated TSH subgroup (HR=1.40) and mildly elevated TSH subgroup (HR=1.27). LOS was longer for patients with TD; the longest stay was observed in the markedly elevated TSH subgroup (odds ratio=1.69). Conclusion The prevalence of TD in hospitalized cardiac patients is 10.2%. TD is associated with an increased mortality rate and LOS. Consequently, routine screening for thyroid function in this population is advisable, particularly for selected high-risk subgroups. Future studies are needed to determine whether optimizing thyroid function can improve survival in these patients.