Thyroid disease in older patients. Diagnosis and treatment.

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.