Thyrotropin reference interval in older adults

It is estimated that by the year 2050, 16% of the world’s population will be 65 years old and above. As the global aging population continues to grow, there is an increasing focus on thyroid disorders among older individuals. Thyrotropin is widely used in diagnosing subclinical thyroid diseases due...

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Main Authors: Xiaodan Zhai, Yongze Li, Xiaochun Teng, Weiping Teng, Xiaoguang Shi, Zhongyan Shan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Bioscientifica 2025-01-01
Series:Endocrine Connections
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Online Access:https://ec.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/ec/14/2/EC-24-0435.xml
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author Xiaodan Zhai
Yongze Li
Xiaochun Teng
Weiping Teng
Xiaoguang Shi
Zhongyan Shan
author_facet Xiaodan Zhai
Yongze Li
Xiaochun Teng
Weiping Teng
Xiaoguang Shi
Zhongyan Shan
author_sort Xiaodan Zhai
collection DOAJ
description It is estimated that by the year 2050, 16% of the world’s population will be 65 years old and above. As the global aging population continues to grow, there is an increasing focus on thyroid disorders among older individuals. Thyrotropin is widely used in diagnosing subclinical thyroid diseases due to its high sensitivity as an indicator of changes in thyroid function. However, thyrotropin levels change with age, and different reference intervals have been proposed in various studies. The variation in thyrotropin ranges among older adults is probably caused by the heterogeneity of the studied population. This review aims to provide an overview of the existing literature on thyrotropin reference intervals in older adults and their distinction as adaptive or pathologic. Recent research indicates that older individuals may have slightly elevated levels of thyrotropin and higher upper limits of reference intervals. Therefore, a higher thyrotropin threshold for diagnosing and treating subclinical hypothyroidism in the elderly seems reasonable.
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series Endocrine Connections
spelling doaj-art-2dab5c4cf5f94c6c9e8a945838c1ed6c2025-01-07T17:17:12ZengBioscientificaEndocrine Connections2049-36142025-01-0114210.1530/EC-24-04351Thyrotropin reference interval in older adultsXiaodan Zhai0Yongze Li1Xiaochun Teng2Weiping Teng3Xiaoguang Shi4Zhongyan Shan5Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Institute of Endocrinology, National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Thyroid Diseases, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, P. R. ChinaDepartment of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Institute of Endocrinology, National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Thyroid Diseases, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, P. R. ChinaDepartment of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Institute of Endocrinology, National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Thyroid Diseases, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, P. R. ChinaDepartment of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Institute of Endocrinology, National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Thyroid Diseases, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, P. R. ChinaDepartment of Endocrinology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, P. R. ChinaDepartment of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Institute of Endocrinology, National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Thyroid Diseases, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, P. R. ChinaIt is estimated that by the year 2050, 16% of the world’s population will be 65 years old and above. As the global aging population continues to grow, there is an increasing focus on thyroid disorders among older individuals. Thyrotropin is widely used in diagnosing subclinical thyroid diseases due to its high sensitivity as an indicator of changes in thyroid function. However, thyrotropin levels change with age, and different reference intervals have been proposed in various studies. The variation in thyrotropin ranges among older adults is probably caused by the heterogeneity of the studied population. This review aims to provide an overview of the existing literature on thyrotropin reference intervals in older adults and their distinction as adaptive or pathologic. Recent research indicates that older individuals may have slightly elevated levels of thyrotropin and higher upper limits of reference intervals. Therefore, a higher thyrotropin threshold for diagnosing and treating subclinical hypothyroidism in the elderly seems reasonable.https://ec.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/ec/14/2/EC-24-0435.xmlthyrotropinreference intervalolder adultshypothyroidism
spellingShingle Xiaodan Zhai
Yongze Li
Xiaochun Teng
Weiping Teng
Xiaoguang Shi
Zhongyan Shan
Thyrotropin reference interval in older adults
Endocrine Connections
thyrotropin
reference interval
older adults
hypothyroidism
title Thyrotropin reference interval in older adults
title_full Thyrotropin reference interval in older adults
title_fullStr Thyrotropin reference interval in older adults
title_full_unstemmed Thyrotropin reference interval in older adults
title_short Thyrotropin reference interval in older adults
title_sort thyrotropin reference interval in older adults
topic thyrotropin
reference interval
older adults
hypothyroidism
url https://ec.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/ec/14/2/EC-24-0435.xml
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AT yongzeli thyrotropinreferenceintervalinolderadults
AT xiaochunteng thyrotropinreferenceintervalinolderadults
AT weipingteng thyrotropinreferenceintervalinolderadults
AT xiaoguangshi thyrotropinreferenceintervalinolderadults
AT zhongyanshan thyrotropinreferenceintervalinolderadults