J Korean Soc Menopause.  2012 Dec;18(3):193-198.

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

• Kwon OS
• Kim JH
• Cho SH
• Park HM
• Sung EJ

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.

Keyword

Cardiovascular diseases; Hypothyroidism; Middle aged; Postmenopause; Triglycerides

MeSH Terms

Blood Glucose
Blood Pressure
Body Mass Index
Cardiovascular Diseases
Female
Humans
Hypothyroidism
Middle Aged
Postmenopause
Prevalence
Risk Factors
Triglycerides
Blood Glucose
Triglycerides