Underactive Thyroid & the Elderly

Avatar for cl_calley7
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Underactive Thyroid & the Elderly
Thu, 12-02-2004 - 10:03pm

This is an interesting story from our HealthDay news source:


Elderly Better Off With Underactive Thyroid
Surprising study questions need for aggressive treatment

By Amanda Gardner
HealthDay Reporter



TUESDAY, Nov. 30 (HealthDayNews) -- Very old people with underactive thyroid glands do not experience adverse effects and may even live longer than people of the same age with normally functioning thyroids, Dutch researchers say.


These surprising results, which appear in the Dec. 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, add fuel to an ongoing debate about whether to screen and treat the oldest for mild thyroid disease.


"Contrary to general expectation, the clinical implications of subclinical thyroid dysfunction are not as grave," said study author Dr. Jacobijn Gussekloo, an associate professor of gerontology and geriatrics at Leiden University Medical Center. "This definitely diminishes the 'need' for screening and treatment."


More at:


http://www.ivillagehealth.com/news/topnews/content/0,,418445_648794,00.html

Calley7
 

Calley7