Hyperthyroidism and cardiovascular risk factors: A nationwide study.

BACKGROUND: Thyroid hormones (THs) have important effects on cardiovascular (CV) physiology. Thyroid disorders are accompanied by serious effects on the CV system.

OBJECTIVE: To study the association between hyperthyroidism and the main CV risk factors (CVRFs), such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes and smoking in the Spanish population.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: An observational, retrospective, non-interventional study was performed using the statistical portal of the Spanish Ministry of Health associated with the Base de Datos Clínicos de Atención Primaria (BDCA) database.

RESULTS: In 2019, 384,182 people [300,243 women (78.1%)] were diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, which represents 1.0% of the population with health problems registered in the BDCAP database (38,365,258 people). The prevalence of hyperthyroidism was more frequent in women (2.48 times) than in men and increased with age. When the whole population was considered, the prevalence of hypertension (34.90% vs. 19.90%; odds ratio, OR 2.16, 95% CI 2.14-2.17), dyslipidemia (34.47% vs. 21.57%; OR 1.90, 95% CI 1.88-1.91), diabetes (12.88% vs. 8.12%; OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.65-1.68) and smoking (10.89% vs. 7.61%; OR 1.48, 95% CI 1.46-1.49) was significantly (p<0.0001) higher in the population diagnosed with hyperthyroidism compared to those without this diagnosis. These significant differences were maintained in both women and men. A separate analysis of the age group 65 years or older showed statistically significant (p<0.0001) differences in the prevalence of hypertension (66.26% vs. 59.43%; OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.33-1.36), dyslipidemia (52.61% vs. 49.05%; OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.14-1.17) and smoking (6.29% vs. 5.93%; OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.04-1.09) between patients with and without a diagnosis of hyperthyroidism, but not in the prevalence of diabetes, which was similar (24.63% vs. 24.63%; OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.99-1.01; p=0.89).

CONCLUSION: Our study shows that the diagnosis of hyperthyroidism is significantly associated with the main CVRFs in Spanish population attended by primary care regardless of the gender of the patients. This association disappears in those patients aged 65 years or older diagnosed with diabetes.