Correspondence from the world of cardiology.
Iodine deficiency, thyroid stimulating hormone and cardiovascular disease
Dear Sirs,
The UK has been classified as iodine deficient. This causes an increase in thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), which also raises cholesterol. Would it be wise to test for an iodine deficiency in patients with raised cholesterol?
The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists recommend an upper limit for TSH of 3.0 mIU/ml for the normal reference range. I believe our UK endocrinologists are partly to blame for neglecting a suboptimal thyroid function which causes cardiovascular disease (CVD). This theory can be related to countries like Japan that have the highest iodine intake and the lowest rate of CVD.
Rachel Warner
Clinical Pharmacist
([email protected])
Pharmacy Department, Liverpool Heart and Chest NHS Trust
Thomas Drive
Liverpool L14 3PE
