Determinants of serum T4 and T3 at time of diagnosis in nosological types of thyrotoxicosis: a population-based study

OBJECTIVE:
TO CHARACTERIZE THYROID HORMONE LEVELS AT TIME OF DIAGNOSIS IN THE NOSOLOGICAL TYPES OF THYROTOXICOSIS DIAGNOSED IN THE POPULATION, AND TO ANALYZE DETERMINANTS FOR SERUM THYROXINE (T4) AND TRIIODOTHYRONINE (T3).DESIGN: POPULATION-BASED STUDY OF THYROTOXICOSIS AT DISEASE ONSET.METHODS: In the period 1997 to 2000, we prospectively identified all patients diagnosed with incident primary overt thyrotoxicosis in a Danish population cohort and classified patients into ten well-defined nosological types of disease (n = 1,082). Untreated levels of serum T3, T4, and T3/T4-ratio were compared and related to sex, age, level of iodine deficiency, smoking status, alcohol intake, iodine supplement use, co-morbidity, and TSH-receptor-antibodies (TRAb) in multivariate models.Results: Graves´ patients had much higher levels of T3 and higher T3/T4-ratio at diagnosis compared to other thyrotoxic patients, but with a profound negative association between hormone levels and age. In Graves´ disease, patients diagnosed in the area with more severe iodine deficiency had lower levels of T3 and T4. TRAb-negative Graves´ patients had biochemically mild thyrotoxicosis. Higher age was also associated with lower degree of biochemical thyrotoxicosis in nodular toxic goitre. We found no association between serum T3 and T4 and sex, smoking habits, iodine supplements, alcohol intake, or co-morbidity in any type of thyrotoxicosis.Conclusions: The study gives new insight to the hormonal presentation of thyrotoxicosis, and showed that young age, positive TRAb levels, but also residency in the area with higher iodine intake was positively associated with biochemical disruption in Graves´ disease.