Morbidity, Mortality, and Quality of Life for Patients Treated With Levothyroxine
Abstract
In a population study of 1462 middle-aged women initiated in 1968 and 1969 we identified 29 women treated with levothyroxine from 1 to 28 years. In a 12-year follow-up in 1980 and 1981 we investigated the subjects for end-point myocardial infarction, diabetes mellitus, stroke, cancer, and death (the status of 99.7% of the initial participants was established). The women treated with levothyroxine showed no increase in morbidity or mortality. Of the 24 women still receiving levothyroxine in 1980 and 1981, 22 had serum thyrotropin and triiodothyronine concentrations with-in reference limits. These individuals were compared with the 968 women from the population study having no history of thyroid disease, and appeared identical as to laboratory and clinical data, with the exception of a slightly higher body mass, taller stature, and lower serum cholesterol concentration. The treated group did not differ in a life quality estimate based on 19 questions regarding life satisfaction and sensory function. We conclude that the levothyroxine-treated woman suffers no side effects from her life-long therapy.
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In a Swedish population-based study, the quality of life of 22 L-T4-treated women with normal serum TSH was not different from 968 women from the population without thyroid disease.
“Their quality of life was not different from 968 women from the population without thyroid disease [15] .”
From 2012 ETA Guidelines: The Use of L-T4 + L-T3 in the Treatment of Hypothyroidism (2012) · cites this paper as [15]
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- Authors
- Petersen, K.
- Affiliations
- Sahlgrenska University Hospital (SE)
- Corresponding author
- Petersen, Ken
- Venue
- Archives of Internal Medicine
- Publisher
- American Medical Association (AMA)
- Published
- 1990-10-01
- Volume
- 150
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 2077
- ISSN
- 0003-9926 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2005968835
- Cited by
- 69
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 1 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 2.74
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Archives of Internal Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Thyroid Disorders and Treatments
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Thyroid Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
- Keywords
- levothyroxine, hypothyroidism, morbidity, mortality, quality of life, life satisfaction, thyroid function, thyroid-stimulating hormone, triiodothyronine, middle-aged women, cardiovascular events, diabetes mellitus, stroke, cancer
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Cerebrovascular Disorders, Diabetes Mellitus, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Middle Aged, Morbidity, Myocardial Infarction, Neoplasms, Population Surveillance, Quality of Life, Sweden, Thyroid Diseases, Thyroxine, Time Factors, Incidence
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