Endocrine Abstracts

Our hospital has a referent population of 50 000 people in a rural area. We have made a retrospective study about ambulatory outpatients who had been diagnosed with subclinical hyperthyroidism.

Objectives: To describe and analyze the characteristics of these patients, the treatment they received, the relationship beween TSH and goiter, complementary image tests and evolution.

Material and methods: This is a descriptive study about patients registered as subclinical hyperthyroidism during the period from 1995 to 2006: sex, BP, BMI, CF, age at diagnosis, symptoms, TSH and T4L levels, antithyroidal antibodies, sonography and scintingrathy, treatment and evolution. Patients taking thyroid hormone, with subcute thyroiditis, post-partum thyroididtis or administration of iodine products were excluded from the study.

Results: N=57, m age 64, >65 years 50.87%. About 85.5% women. m BMI 27.6, 508% SBP≥140, 52.6%, DBP=>80 m CF 82.6, TSH<0.1, 73.7% (40% of them had multinodular goiter, 16% uninodular; rate no significant) TSH=>0.1, 26.3%. Antithyroglobulyn antibodies 8.7%, TPO 7%. Multinodular goiter 36.7%, Nodular 14.28%. Heterogeneus 37.8% Sonography 98.24%, Scintigraphy 45.61%. About 52.8% suffered from symptoms. We had registered 21.42% patients with HBP, 10.52% osteoporosis, 8.7% arrhythmia, all of them had TSH<0.1. Initial dose of methimazole between 5 and 30 mg. All patients taking 20–30 mg had TSH<0.1. Radioiodine treatment 8.77%. A patient undertook surgery. About 31% stopped treatment. The rest maintained the treatment but with a lower dose. Exitus 4. Follow-up by their GP 8, didn’t come back 4. Normofuntion at one year: 35 patients, 16% without treatment. Mean follow-up time, 3.6 years.

Conclusion: The majority of patients were women. About 42.1% aged >65. About 80.7% had goiter. About 52.6% had symptoms. When lowering medication TSH disminishes and treatment is manteined at a low dose. TSH levels aren’t associated with type of goiter. All patients taking dose≥20 mg had TSH<0.1.