McMaster Textbook of Internal Medicine

McMaster Textbook of Internal Medicine
Interviews
Endocrinology
Thyroid-stimulating hormone levels and age

Thyroid-stimulating hormone levels and age

2018-03-07

René Rodríguez-Gutiérrez

Do thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels change with age? Should we use different criteria to diagnose and treat hypothyroidism in the elderly?

René Rodríguez-Gutiérrez: Now we know for sure that happens. Definitely TSH varies and elevates with age. It has been suggested, even though we do not have a clear cutoff, that in patients above 65 or 70 years of age, probably the cutoff is between 7 and 8 mIU/L. I think definitely these patients will not need to be treated when they are in that range.

See also

Treatment of a premenopausal woman with an isolated TSH >2.5 mIU/L Does an isolated measurement of a thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level >2.5 mIU/L in a premenopausal woman warrant treatment? Should the measurement be repeated or supplemented by other tests?
Wound swabs and antibiotics in patients with a diabetic foot Is it recommended to take wound swabs in patients with the diabetic foot and use antibiotics based on susceptibility testing?
EBM, clinical practice guidelines, and the patient revolution A lecture by Dr Victor M. Montori delivered at Evidence-Based Medicine and Clinical Practice Guidelines in Contemporary Practice in Kraków in May 2017.
Prevalence of disease-related infertility in Hashimoto thyroiditis What is the prevalence of disease-related infertility in women with Hashimoto thyroiditis?
First-line therapy in type 2 diabetes What is the first-line therapy in type 2 diabetes mellitus: metformin as monotherapy or combined treatment with 2 or more oral antidiabetic agents?

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