Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35218666›Full record

Trial reportThe Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism2022

No Effect of Levothyroxine on Hemoglobin in Older Adults With Subclinical Hypothyroidism: Pooled Results From 2 Randomized Controlled Trials.

Robert S Du Puy, Rosalinde K E Poortvliet, Simon P Mooijaart, David J Stott, Terry Quinn, Naveed Sattar, Rudi G J Westendorp, Patricia M Kearney, Vera J C McCarthy, Stephen Byrne and 9 more

Open access · bronzeAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 29% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

19 authors at 8 institutions in 6 countries.

Robert S Du PuyDepartment of Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden University Medical Center, ZA Leiden, the Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-8909-7686
Rosalinde K E PoortvlietDepartment of Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden University Medical Center, ZA Leiden, the Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-6521-8770
Simon P MooijaartDepartment of Internal Medicine, section Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, ZA Leiden, the Netherlands.
David J StottDepartment of Geriatric Medicine, Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
Terry QuinnDepartment of Geriatric Medicine, Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
Naveed SattarInstitute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-1604-2593
Rudi G J WestendorpDepartment of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Patricia M KearneySchool of Public Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Vera J C McCarthySchool of Nursing and Midwifery, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Stephen ByrneSchool of Pharmacy, University College Cork, Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Nicolas RodondiDepartment of General Internal Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0001-9083-6896
Oliver BaretellaDepartment of General Internal Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Tinh-Hai ColletService of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Nutrition and Therapeutic Education, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-3243-1222
Diana van HeemstDepartment of Internal Medicine, section Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, ZA Leiden, the Netherlands.
Olaf M DekkersDepartment of Endocrinology and metabolic disorders, Leiden University Medical Center, ZA Leiden, the Netherlands.
J Wouter JukemaDepartment of Cardiology, Leiden University Medical Center, ZA Leiden, the Netherlands.
Johannes W A SmitRadboud University Medical Center, GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Jacobijn GusseklooDepartment of Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden University Medical Center, ZA Leiden, the Netherlands.
Wendy P J den ElzenAtalmedial Diagnostics Centre, EC Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Leiden University Medical Center · NLUniversity College Cork · IEUniversity of Glasgow · GBUniversity of Bern · CHAmsterdam University Medical Centers · NLRadboud University Nijmegen · NLUniversity Hospital of Geneva · CHUniversity of Copenhagen · DK

Funding

European Union FP7-HEALTH-2011 278148
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

contextSubclinical thyroid dysfunction and anemia are common disorders, and both have increasing prevalence with advancing age.

objectiveThe aim of this study was to assess whether levothyroxine treatment leads to a rise in hemoglobin levels in older persons with subclinical hypothyroidism.

methodsThis preplanned combined analysis of 2 randomized controlled trials included community-dwelling persons aged 65 years and older with subclinical hypothyroidism who were randomly assigned to levothyroxine or placebo treatment. The levothyroxine dose was periodically titrated aiming at thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) level within the reference range, with mock titrations in the placebo group. The main outcome measure was the change in hemoglobin level after 12 months.

resultsAnalyses included 669 participants (placebo n = 337, levothyroxine n = 332) with a median age of 75 years (range, 65-97) and mean baseline hemoglobin of 13.8 ± 1.3 g/dL. Although levothyroxine treatment resulted in a reduction in TSH from baseline after 12 months of follow-up compared with placebo, the change in hemoglobin level was not different between the levothyroxine and the placebo groups (-0.03 g/dL [95% CI, -0.16 to 0.11]). Similar results were found in stratified analyses including sex, age, or TSH levels. No difference in change of hemoglobin levels after 12 months was identified in 69 participants with anemia at baseline (-0.33 g/dL [95% CI, -0.87 to 0.21]).

conclusionIn persons aged 65 years and older with subclinical hypothyroidism, treatment with levothyroxine does not lead to a rise in hemoglobin levels, regardless of the presence of anemia.

Indexed as

HypothyroidismThyroxineAgedAged, 80 and overDouble-Blind MethodHemoglobinsHumansThyrotropinHemoglobinsThyrotropinThyroxineanemiaolder adultsRCTsubclinical hypothyroidismthyroid

Identifiers

PMID35218666
PMCPMC9113813
OpenAlexW4214556828

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.