Assessment of cardiovascular risk in subclinical hypothyroidism

Patients with subclinical disease have few or no definitive clinical signs or symptoms of thyroid dysfunction. The clinical importance of and therapy for mild elevation of serum TSH (<10 mIU/L) and the exact upper limit of normal for the serum TSH level remain subjects of debate. We evaluated 100 euthyroid and subclinical hypothyroid patients and found that subclinical hypothyroidism is associated with a more atherogenic lipid profile which contributes to the increased cardiovascular disease risk in SCH patients.