The lack of association between hypertension and hypothyroidism in a primary care setting

Abstract

This work examines the association between hypertension and hypothyroidism in geriatric patients seen at a primary care medical office. One hundred and twenty-two geriatric patients with elevated thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels were selected for the study. An equal number of euthyroid geriatric individuals were selected from the same clinic for comparison. We found no differences in mean diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in the euthyroid and hypothyroid groups (80.1 mm Hg vs 78.9 mm Hg, P = 0.25). Additionally, there was no significant association between having hypertension (defined as having an elevated DBP or receiving treatment for hypertension at the time of the index visit) and level of TSH (P = 0.33). Logistic regression did show that race, gender, body mass index and renal function were significantly associated with the presence of hypertension. Lastly, there was not a significant association between level of TSH and DBP as determined by regression (P = 0.97). In conclusion, in this population of geriatric patients we did not find hypertension to be associated with the presence of hypothyroidism.