Thyroid Dysfunction and Heart Failure: Mechanisms and Associations.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The purpose of this review is to provide an update on the current knowledge of the pathophysiology, the mechanisms, and the cardiovascular impact of the different stages of thyroid dysfunction (TD) in heart failure (HF) patients.

RECENT FINDING

The influence of thyroid hormones (THs) on the cardiovascular system involves the regulation of key processes related to maintenance of cardiac function; however, there are no long-term studies available showing that intervening the TD changes the incidence or the prognosis in HF individuals. Future research shall focus on the effects of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality associated with different treatment modalities for hyper and hypothyroidism. TD has been associated with different clinical results in HF individuals; treatment with THs in patients with hypothyroidism improves cardiovascular risk factors, but the effect on cardiovascular events has not been assessed in randomized, controlled trials.