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Mild thyroid disease not tied to strokes

Mild disease of the thyroid gland, a hormone-secreting organ in the neck, does not generally cause heart problems or stroke, new research shows.

The one exception is a slightly overactive thyroid gland, which may raise the risk of atrial fibrillation, a common heart-rhythm disturbance in which the upper chambers beat erratically.

The findings are based on a study of 3233 older adults who had thyroid function testing performed between 1989 and 1990 and then were followed through June 2002 for heart problems and stroke. All of the subjects were 65 years of age or older when the study started.

Dr Anne R Cappola, from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, and colleagues reported their findings in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association.

In terms of thyroid function, 82 per cent of subjects were normal, 15 per cent were mildly underactive, 1.5 per cent were moderately underactive, and 1.5 per cent were mildly overactive.

Compared with individuals with normal thyroid function, subjects with mildly overactive glands were nearly twice as likely to develop atrial fibrillation during follow-up. By contrast, the other types of thyroid disease did not predispose to any heart problems or stroke.

"Our analyses do not support screening older individuals for thyroid disease to prevent heart disease and stroke," the investigators conclude.

http://www.theage.com.au

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