U.S. researchers hope more aggressive treatment of hypothyroidism and borderline hypothyroidism will result in a reduction of heart disease.
Because roughly 10 percent of the U.S. population suffers from hypothyroidism or borderline hypothyroidism, the insufficient production of thyroid hormones, the team's discovery could potentially lead to improvement in patients with cardiovascular disease.
The study, conducted by the Cardiovascular Research Institute, South Dakota Health Research Foundation, Sioux Valley Health System and The University of South Dakota School of Medicine, suggests that low thyroid function has the potential to cause heart failure.
"We provided strong evidence that low thyroid function alone induced in rats eventually can cause heart failure," said co-author Dr. A Martin Gerdes, director of the Cardiovascular Research Institute.
The findings are published in the journal Circulation.
© Copyright 2005 by United Press International
