Subclinical thyroid disorders: The menace of the Trojan horse

This review aims at summarizing some new data regarding the so-called subclinical thyroid disease and incorporate the knowledge in order to provide a basis for a more careful approach to these morbidities. SHyper represents a considerable risk factor for atrial fibrillation in the elderly and also for osteoporosis, which is a major cause of morbidity in postmenopausal women. SHypo is not an innocuous condition. It progresses to thyroid failure in patients with positive thyroid antibodies, it affects neurobehavior, it may influence cardiac contractility at exercise and it is associated with an impaired lipid profile that may provoke atherosclerosis. Therefore, both conditions should be screened more carefully in the community and treatment should be more often considered. (C) 2003, Editrice Kurtis.