Finucane P, Anderson C
Flinders University of South Australia, Rehabilitation and Ageing Studies Unit, Repatriation General Hospital, Daw Park.
Drugs Aging. 1995 Apr;6(4):268-77. doi: 10.2165/00002512-199506040-00002.
Thyroid gland dysfunction is a relatively common clinical problem in elderly people and is associated with significant morbidity if left untreated. The clinical features of thyroid disease may be subtle, easily overlooked or misdiagnosed. Therefore, a high index of suspicion is necessary. If potentially serious sequelae are to be avoided, the selection and interpretation of thyroid function tests must be appropriate. It is particularly important to consider both the effect of concurrent illness and the effect of certain drugs on thyroid function tests. With recent methodological advances, thyroid function tests are now more reliable, though in certain situations they still need to be interpreted with caution. Once the diagnosis is established, the management of both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism is relatively simple and effective, though there are special considerations relating to elderly patients.
甲状腺功能障碍在老年人中是一个相对常见的临床问题，如果不治疗会导致严重的发病率。甲状腺疾病的临床特征可能很细微，容易被忽视或误诊。因此，需要高度的怀疑指数。为了避免潜在的严重后遗症，甲状腺功能测试的选择和解读必须恰当。考虑并存疾病的影响以及某些药物对甲状腺功能测试的影响尤为重要。随着最近方法学的进展，甲状腺功能测试现在更可靠了，尽管在某些情况下仍需谨慎解读。一旦确诊，甲状腺功能减退和甲状腺功能亢进的治疗相对简单有效，不过对于老年患者有一些特殊的考虑因素。
