Scott M A, Kidd B L, Croxson M S, Evans M C
Aust N Z J Med. 1986 Oct;16(5):699-702. doi: 10.1111/j.1445-5994.1986.tb00016.x.
The free thyroxine index (FTI) was measured in 307 elderly patients admitted to two geriatric units. The initial FTI was abnormal in 41 (13.3%), being 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.
对入住两个老年病房的307例老年患者测定了游离甲状腺素指数（FTI）。初始FTI异常的有41例（13.3%），其中27例升高，14例降低。进一步检查发现，41例患者中有36例（88%）的这些异常为短暂性或无临床意义。307例患者中最终仅5例（1.6%）因先前未诊断出的甲状腺疾病接受治疗，其中3例病情改善（1%）。仅2例患者（0.7%）存在经常规筛查发现但根据病史和临床检查未怀疑的甲状腺疾病。鉴于这些结果，我们认为老年患者的甲状腺筛查与年轻住院患者相比并无更多合理性。
