Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35587500›Full record

SynthesisPloS one2022

The impact of the management strategies for patients with subclinical hypothyroidism on long-term clinical outcomes: An umbrella review.

Brenda S Bauer, Amaya Azcoaga-Lorenzo, Utkarsh Agrawal, Adeniyi Francis Fagbamigbe, Colin McCowan

Open access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 26% 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

4 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. 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

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Brenda S BauerPopulation and Behavioural Science Division, School of Medicine, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-1417-1260
Amaya Azcoaga-LorenzoPopulation and Behavioural Science Division, School of Medicine, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Utkarsh AgrawalPopulation and Behavioural Science Division, School of Medicine, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0001-5181-6120
Adeniyi Francis FagbamigbePopulation and Behavioural Science Division, School of Medicine, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Colin McCowanPopulation and Behavioural Science Division, School of Medicine, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-9466-833X
University of St Andrews · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimThis umbrella review summarises and compares synthesised evidence on the impact of subclinical hypothyroidism and its management on long-term clinical outcomes.

methodsWe conducted comprehensive searches on MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, JBI Evidence Synthesis, the PROSPERO register, Epistemonikos Database and PDQ Evidence from inception to February and July 2021 using keywords on subclinical hypothyroidism, treatment with levothyroxine, monitoring and primary outcomes (all-cause mortality, cardiovascular events, stroke, frailty fractures and quality of life). Only systematic reviews and meta-analyses on adult patient populations were considered. Study selection, data extraction and quality appraisal using AMSTAR-2 were done independently by two reviewers and discrepancies were resolved through discussion. Overlap across the selected reviews was also assessed, followed by a narrative synthesis of findings.

resultsA total of 763 studies were identified from literature searches; 20 reviews met inclusion criteria. Methodological quality ratings were high (n = 8), moderate (n = 7), and low (n = 5), but no reviews were excluded on this basis. Though there was slight overlap across all reviews, some pairwise comparisons had high corrected covered area scores. Compared to euthyroidism, untreated subclinical hypothyroidism was associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular events or death if Thyroid Stimulating Hormone was above 10mIU/L at baseline. Treatment was associated with a lower risk of death from all causes for patients younger than 70 years and possibly better cognitive and quality of life scores than untreated individuals. Evidence on the risk of strokes and fractures was inconclusive.

conclusionIn the long term, treatment of subclinical hypothyroidism may be beneficial for some patient groups. However, the findings of this review are negatively impacted by the relative sparseness and poor quality of available evidence. Additional large and adequately powered studies are needed to investigate this topic further. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO (CRD42021235172).

Indexed as

Cardiovascular DiseasesHypothyroidismAdultHumansQuality of LifeSystematic Reviews as TopicThyroxineThyroxine

Identifiers

PMID35587500
PMCPMC9119548
OpenAlexW4280615256

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.