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The Health, Aging and Body Composition Study

Alka M. Kanaya, MD; Fran Harris, MS; Stefano Volpato, MD; Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable, MD; Tamara Harris, MD; Douglas C. Bauer, MD

Arch Intern Med. 2002;162:773-779.

Background  Thyroid dysfunction increases with age. Less is known about the prevalence of thyroid disease in older black adults and whether an association between thyroid function and serum cholesterol level exists, as in older white adults.

Methods  A cross-sectional study of 2799 well functioning white and black participants, aged 70 to 79 years, were recruited for a population-based study. Participants underwent thyrotropin, free thyroxine, and total cholesterol testing; a medical history; and physical measurements.

Results  Among the entire cohort, 94% were euthyroid based on biochemical testing results. Approximately 10% were taking thyroid hormones. Subclinical hypothyroidism was the most prevalent disorder (3.1% of all participants not taking thyroid hormones), but black men and women had lower rates of this condition than white men and women. After excluding those taking thyroid or lipid medication and adjusting for potential confounders, an elevated thyrotropin level (>5.5 mIU/mL) was associated with a 9 mg/dL (0.23 mmol/L) higher cholesterol level, and a suppressed thyrotropin level (<0.35 mIU/mL) was associated with a 19 mg/dL (0.49 mmol/L) lower cholesterol level.

Conclusion  Healthy community-dwelling older black adults have a lower prevalence of thyroid dysfunction compared with older white adults, but the association between increased thyrotropin and increased cholesterol levels is similar in both races.

From the Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine (Drs Kanaya, Pérez-Stable, and Bauer), Prevention Sciences Group (Ms F. Harris and Dr Bauer), Center for Aging in Diverse Communities (Drs Kanaya and Pérez-Stable), Medical Effectiveness Research Center for Diverse Populations (Dr Pérez-Stable), University of California, San Francisco; and the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md (Drs Volpato and T. Harris).

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