Endogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism affects quality of life and cardiac morphology and function in young and middle-aged patients

To determine the clinical impact of endogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism, specific symptoms and signs of thyroid hormone excess and quality of life were assessed in 23 patients (3 males and 20 females; mean age, 43 +/- 9 yr) and 23 age-, sex-, and lifestyle-matched normal subjects by using the Symptoms Rating Scale and the Short Form 36 Health Survey questionnaires. Because the heart is one of the main target organs of the thyroid hormone, cardiac morphology and function were also investigated by means of standard 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG), 24-h Wolter EGG, and complete Doppler echocardiography. Stable endogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism had been diagnosed in all patients at least 6 months before the study (TSH, 0.15 +/- 0.1 mU/L; free T(3), 6.9 +/- 1.1, pmol/L; free T(4), 17.2 +/- 2.3, pmol/L). Fifteen patients were affected by multinodular goiter, and eight patients by autonomously functioning thyroid nodule. The mean Symptoms Rating Scale score (9.8 +/- 5.5 vs. 4.3 +/- 2.2, P < 0.001) and both the mental (36.1 +/- 9.5 vs. 50.0 +/- 8.5, P < 0.001) and physical (42.6 +/- 8.0 vs. 55.6 +/- 4.1, P < 0.001) component scores of Short Form 36 Health Survey documented a significant prevalence of specific symptoms and signs of thyroid hormone excess and notable impairment of quality of life in patients. Holter ECG showed a higher prevalence of atrial premature beats in endogenous subclinical hyperthyroid patients than in the controls, but the difference was not statistically significant, although the average heart rate was significantly increased in the patients (P < 0.001). An increase of left ventricular mass (162 +/- 24 vs. 132, 22 g, P < 0.001) due to the increase of septal (P = 0.025) and posterior wall (P = 0.004) thickness was observed in patients. Systolic function was enhanced in patients as shown by the significant increase of both fractional shortening (P = 0.005) and mean velocity of heart rate-adjusted circumferential fiber shortening (P = 0.036). The Doppler parameters of diastolic function were significantly impaired in the patients as documented by the reduced early to late ratio of the transmitral flow Velocities (P < 0.001) and the prolonged isovolumic relaxation time (P = 0.006). These data indicate that endogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism has a relevant clinical impact and that it affects cardiac morphology and function. Moreover, they suggest that treatment of persistent endogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism should be considered also in young and middle-aged patients to attenuate specific symptoms and signs of thyroid hormone excess, ameliorate the quality of life, and avoid the consequences to the heart of long exposure to a mild excess of thyroid hormone.