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ADMISSION THYROID FUNCTION TESTING IN ELDERLY PATIENTS
Author(s) -
SCOTT M. A.,
KIDD B. L.,
CROXSON M. S.,
EVANS M. C.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.596
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1445-5994
pISSN - 0004-8291
DOI - 10.1111/j.1445-5994.1986.tb00016.x
Subject(s) - medicine , thyroid function tests , thyroid function , thyroid , intensive care medicine , pediatrics
The free thyroxine indeg (FTI) was measured in 307 elderly patients admitted to two geriatric units. The initial FTI was abnormal in 41 (13.3%), ieing raised in 27 and low in 14 patients. On further testing, these abnormalities were found to be either transient or of no clinical significance in 36 of the 41 patients (88%). Only five of the 307 patients (1.6%) were finally treated for previously undiagnosed thyroid disease and of these three improved (1%). Thyroid disease identified by routine screening, and not suspected from the history and clinical findings, was present in only two patients (0.7%). In view of these findings we suggest that thyroid screening is no more justified in the elderly than in younger hospitalised patients. (Aust NZ J Med 1986; 16: 699–702.)