Series J J, Biggart E M, O'Reilly D S, Packard C J, Shepherd J
Department of Pathological Biochemistry, Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, Scotland, UK.
Clin Chim Acta. 1988 Mar 15;172(2-3):217-21. doi: 10.1016/0009-8981(88)90326-9.
As part of a screening programme for coronary heart disease risk factors, fasting plasma cholesterol was measured in 2,250 people from the east-end of Glasgow. Plasma thyrotropin (TSH) was measured in the 90 individuals (4% of the population studied) who had a cholesterol level greater than or equal to 8.0 mmol/l. Four had unequivocal biochemical evidence of hypothyroidism-TSH greater than 34 mU/l and a low plasma thyroxine (T4) less than or equal to 45 nmol/l. A further 8 were found to have raised TSH levels suggesting they may have subclinical hypothyroidism. These data indicate that thyroid dysfunction may make a significant contribution to hypercholesterolaemia in the general population.
