Huang HK, et al. - In older adults, researchers assessed the relationship between hypothyroidism and all-cause mortality. They noted an independent association of hypothyroidism with increased all-cause mortality in older adults. Further, thyroxine replacement therapy (TRT) was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality in patients with hypothyroidism.

Methods

• Experts conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study using a National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan.
• This analysis included 2,029 patients aged ≥65 years who received a new diagnosis of hypothyroidism between 2001 and 2011 and 20,290 patients without hypothyroidism or other thyroid diseases in the hypothyroidism and nonhypothyroidism cohorts, respectively, after 1:10 age/sex/index year matching.
• The primary outcome was all-cause mortality.
• Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to calculate the hazard ratios of mortality.
• For the further evaluation of the effect of TRT on mortality, patients with hypothyroidism were divided into two groups: patients who received TRT and those who did not.

Results

• Findings suggested an association of hypothyroidism with an increased risk of all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.82; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.68-1.98; P < 0.001].
• Compared with those who did not receive TRT, patients with hypothyroidism who received TRT had a lower risk of mortality (aHR, 0.57; 95% CI: 0.49-0.66; P < 0.001).
• After further propensity score matching in age-, sex-, and comorbidity-stratified analyses, similar results were obtained.