Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38059618›Full record

ArticleClinical endocrinology2024

Changes in thyroid function and evolution of subclinical thyroid disease in older men.

Stephanie Y Tan, S A Paul Chubb, Leon Flicker, Osvaldo P Almeida, Jonathan Golledge, Graeme J Hankey, Bu B Yeap

Open access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical endocrinology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 21% 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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Management Aspects of Medical Therapy in Graves Disease.Endocrine practice : official journal of the American College of Endocrinology and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists · 2025
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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

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Stephanie Y TanMedical School, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
S A Paul ChubbMedical School, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
Leon FlickerMedical School, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
Osvaldo P AlmeidaMedical School, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
Jonathan GolledgeQueensland Research Centre for Peripheral Vascular Disease, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-5779-8848
Graeme J HankeyMedical School, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
Bu B YeapMedical School, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-7612-5892
The University of Western Australia · AUTownsville Hospital · AU

Funding

Ada Bartholomew Medical Research TrustFremantle Hospital Medical Research FoundationNational Health and Medical Research CouncilSylvia and Charles Viertel Charitable Foundation
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivePrevalence of subclinical thyroid disease increases with age, but optimal detection and surveillance strategies remain unclear particularly for older men. We aimed to assess thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and free thyroxine (FT4) concentrations and their longitudinal changes, to determine the prevalence and incidence of subclinical thyroid dysfunction in older men. DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS AND MEASUREMENTS: Longitudinal study of 994 community-dwelling men aged ≥70 years without known or current thyroid disease, with TSH and FT4 concentrations assessed at baseline and follow-up (after 8.7 ± 0.9 years). Factors associated with incident subclinical thyroid dysfunction were examined by logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic analyses.

resultsAt baseline, 85 men (8.6%) had subclinical hypothyroidism and 10 (1.0%) subclinical hyperthyroidism. Among 899 men euthyroid at baseline (mean age 75.0 ± 3.0 years), 713 (79.3%) remained euthyroid, 180 (20.0%) developed subclinical/overt hypothyroidism, and 6 (0.7%) subclinical/overt hyperthyroidism. Change in TSH correlated with baseline TSH (r = .16, p < .05). Change in FT4 correlated inversely with baseline FT4 (r = -0.35, p < .05). Only higher age and baseline TSH predicted progression from euthyroid to subclinical/overt hypothyroidism (fully-adjusted odds ratio [OR] per year=1.09, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.02-1.17, p = .006; per 2.7-fold increase in TSH OR = 65.4, CI = 31.9-134, p < .001). Baseline TSH concentration ≥2.34 mIU/L had 76% sensitivity and 77% specificity for predicting development of subclinical/overt hypothyroidism.

conclusionsIn older men TSH concentration increased over time, while FT4 concentration showed little change. Subclinical or overt hypothyroidism evolved in one fifth of initially euthyroid men, age and higher baseline TSH predicted this outcome. Increased surveillance for thyroid dysfunction may be justified in older men, especially those with high-normal TSH.

Indexed as

HyperthyroidismHypothyroidismThyroid DiseasesAgedHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleThyrotropinThyroxineThyrotropinThyroxineageingfree thyroxinehypothyroidismmensubclinical hyperthyroidismsubclinical hypothyroidismthyroid-stimulating hormone

Identifiers

PMID38059618
PMCPMC10952793
OpenAlexW4389452395

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.