The Incidence of Ischemic Heart Disease and Mortality in People with Subclinical Hypothyroidism: Reanalysis of the Whickham Survey Cohort

Context: The Whickham Survey evaluated vascular events over 20 yr in community-dwelling subjects stratified by thyroid function and thyroid autoantibody status. No association between ischemic heart disease (IHD) and a composite autoimmune thyroid disease group, comprising individuals with subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH), with positive thyroid antibodies or those using levothyroxine, was found. This result appears to be at odds with the findings of other cohort studies. Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate incident IHD and mortality in participants in relation to their thyroid status. Outcomes, Design, and Participants: Data were reanalyzed assessing incident IHD events and mortality during 20 yr of follow-up in individuals with endogenous SCH (n = 97; TSH 6.0–15 mIU/liter) vs. the euthyroid group (n = 2279), who were IHD free at baseline. Results: Incident IHD was significantly higher in the SCH group [adjusted hazard ratio 1.76 (95% confidence interval 1.15–2.71); P = 0.01]. IHD mortal...