Jacques Cornuz

Meta-analysis: Subclinical Thyroid Dysfunction and the Risk for Coronary Heart Disease and Mortality

Context Is subclinical thyroid dysfunction associated with increased risk for coronary heart disease and mortality? Contribution This systematic review of 12 prospective cohort studies found that both subclinical hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism were possibly associated with a small increased risk for coronary heart disease and mortality. Caution Data were uncertain. Confidence intervals around risk estimates were wide, particularly for those related to subclinical hyperthyroidism. Higher-quality studies showed lower estimates of risk than lower-quality studies. Implication Randomized trials testing the efficacy of thyroxine replacement and antithyroid medications for subclinical hypothyroidism and subclinical hyperthyroidism are needed. The Editors Subclinical thyroid dysfunction refers to patients who have an abnormal thyrotropin (thyroid-stimulating hormone [TSH]) level and a normal free thyroxine (T4) level (1). The prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism is about 4.3% in adults (0.7% for subclinical hyperthyroidism), and prevalence is higher in older adults and women (25). Controversy persists about whether screening and treating subclinical thyroid dysfunction is warranted (1, 57) because current evidence about the risks is limited (1, 5) and randomized, controlled trials on relevant clinical outcomes have not been done (5, 8). Subclinical hypothyroidism has been associated with elevated cholesterol levels (911) and increased risk for atherosclerosis (12, 13). Yet, data on the relationship between subclinical hypothyroidism and coronary heart disease (CHD) events are conflicting (12, 1417). In a previous meta-analysis (18), we found that subclinical hypothyroidism was associated with a 1.65-fold increased risk (CI, 1.28 to 2.12) for CHD. However, that meta-analysis included several cross-sectional and casecontrol studies and only 5 small prospective studies. Recently, 3 large prospective studies on this issue have been published (14, 16, 17), with somewhat inconsistent results. Because these new data include many additional CHD events, data are now sufficient to do a meta-analysis that includes only prospective studies, which provide greater validity. Data on the association between subclinical hypothyroidism and mortality are also conflicting (14, 17, 19, 20). The consequences of subclinical hyperthyroidism have been less frequently studied than those of subclinical hypothyroidism. Subclinical hyperthyroidism has been associated with cardiovascular and total mortality (15), but with conflicting data (14, 17). Two of the 3 recent, large prospective studies (14, 17) also examined CHD and mortality in subclinical hyperthyroid participants. To summarize prospective evidence about the relationship between subclinical thyroid dysfunction and CHD and mortality, we did a systematic review of prospective cohort studies. Methods We followed a standardized protocol and conducted and reported this analysis according to the guidelines of the Meta-analysis Of Observational Studies in Epidemiology group (21). Data Sources and Searches We conducted a systematic literature search of MEDLINE for articles in any language on the association between subclinical thyroid dysfunction (both subclinical hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism) and CHD or mortality (cardiovascular and total) published from 1950 to January 2008. To avoid missing any relevant study, we also searched the bibliographies of key articles in the field and those included in this review. We did our search on an Ovid (MEDLINE) server by using broadly defined Medical Subject Headings, such as thyroid diseases, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, thyroid hormones, thyrotropin, mortality, myocardial ischemia, survival, and cardiovascular diseases and such keywords as subclinical hypothyroidism, subclinical hyperthyroidism, subclinical dysthyroidism, and subclinical thyroid, combined with the filter designed by knowledge information specialists from BMJ to select prospective studies (MEDLINE cohort-study filter) (22) but without their year limitation. Study Selection Two reviewers independently screened the abstracts and titles of the search results and eliminated articles only if they did not clearly study the association between subclinical thyroid dysfunction and CHD or mortality (cardiovascular or total) in a prospective design. The same 2 reviewers independently evaluated the remaining full-text articles for eligibility on the basis of a predefined set of eligibility criteria. Disagreements were resolved by consensus. We included only full-text, published, longitudinal cohort studies that measured thyroid function and followed persons prospectively, assessed CHD or mortality, and provided risk estimates or sufficient data to calculate risk estimates associated with subclinical thyroid dysfunction compared with normal thyroid function. Subclinical hypothyroidism was defined as elevated TSH levels and normal T4 levels (1). Several reviews suggest a TSH upper limit cutoff of 4.5 to 5.0 mU/L (1, 5), but others suggest decreasing the upper limit of the TSH range to 2.5 to 3.0 mU/L (23, 24). In the absence of consensus, we did not prespecify a TSH cutoff value to define subclinical hypothyroidism and did a sensitivity analysis by limiting the analysis to studies with a TSH cutoff of 4.5 mU/L or greater (5). Because most adults with elevated TSH levels have subclinical and not overt hypothyroidism (2), we included 2 studies with participants who had elevated TSH levels without a T4 measurement report (25, 26) and did a sensitivity analysis excluding those studies. For subclinical hyperthyroidism, we did not specify a TSH cutoff value (in the absence of consensus), but all studies had a cutoff value close to 0.3 to 0.5 mU/L. We included 1 study with participants who had low TSH levels without a reported T4 measurement (26) and did a sensitivity analysis excluding this study. For CHD, we considered myocardial infarction, angina, the acute coronary syndrome, revascularization (coronary artery surgery, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty), and significant coronary stenosis (defined as 50%) (27). We also considered death due to CHD or cardiovascular disease and did a sensitivity analysis excluding studies that only included the latter. We assessed methods and criteria used for adjudication of those outcomes. The agreement between the 2 reviewers was 99.5% for the first screen (titles and abstracts; = 0.79) and 100% for the full-text screen (= 1.00). Data Extraction and Quality Assessment Two reviewers independently abstracted data on participant characteristics, criteria used to define subclinical thyroid dysfunction, CHD and mortality data, and study results with adjustment factors by using a standardized data collection form. Discrepancies in data extraction between reviewers were resolved by consensus. We systematically assessed key indicators of study quality (28): methods of outcome adjudication and ascertainment that account for confounders and completeness of follow-up ascertainment. Similar to our previous meta-analysis (18), study populations were considered either a convenience or a population-based sample (defined as a random sample of the general population) (29). Methods of outcome adjudication were categorized as use of formal adjudication procedures and adjudication without knowledge of thyroid status. A formal adjudication procedure was defined as having clear criteria for the outcomes that were reviewed by experts for each potential case (29) (for example, specific electrocardiogram or cardiac enzyme modifications for CHD). We did not consider CHD adjudication based only on death certificates as a formal adjudication procedure. If an article did not clearly mention 1 of these criteria, we considered that it had not been done. We contacted the authors of 7 studies (12, 14, 15, 19, 26, 30, 31) that met inclusion criteria but did not provide specific data on the associations between subclinical thyroid dysfunction and CHD or mortality. We obtained risk estimates and CIs for cardiovascular and total mortality from cohort studies in the United Kingdom (15) and the Netherlands (19), as well as specific data for CHD mortality from a cohort of cardiac patients in Italy (31). Authors of a cohort study that published data about the relationship between autoimmune thyroid disease and CHD (30) provided us with data specific to subclinical hypothyroidism that were available for a subgroup of the participants. Three studies provided us with specific numbers of outcomes in each thyroid group (12, 14, 26). We used the most adjusted risk estimates available (the model containing the greatest number of covariates), unless a separate model further adjusted for thyroid antibodies, because thyroid autoimmunity has been hypothesized to be a mediator in the association between subclinical hypothyroidism and CHD (20). We did a sensitivity analysis without the studies that adjusted for cholesterol because high cholesterol might be on the causal pathway. When risk estimates and CIs were not provided but raw data were available (25, 30, 32), we calculated relative risks (RRs) and CIs by using the Woolf method (3335). Data Synthesis and Analysis We first qualitatively synthesized data, paying particular attention to which definitions of subclinical thyroid dysfunction were used and which outcomes were measured. To calculate summary estimates and CIs of the risk for subclinical thyroid dysfunction, we pooled both RRs and hazard ratios (HRs) by using random-effects models based on the variance model developed by DerSimonian and Laird (36). Analyses were repeated by using fixed-effects models for comparison. The presence of heterogeneity across studies was evaluated by using the Q statistic with a conservative P value of 0.10 (37). We also calculated the I 2 statistic, which describes the total variation across studies attributable to heterogeneity rather than chance; an I

Outpatient versus inpatient treatment for patients with acute pulmonary embolism: an international, open-label, randomised, non-inferiority trial

BACKGROUND Although practice guidelines recommend outpatient care for selected, haemodynamically stable patients with pulmonary embolism, most treatment is presently inpatient based. We aimed to assess non-inferiority of outpatient care compared with inpatient care. METHODS We undertook an open-label, randomised non-inferiority trial at 19 emergency departments in Switzerland, France, Belgium, and the USA. We randomly assigned patients with acute, symptomatic pulmonary embolism and a low risk of death (pulmonary embolism severity index risk classes I or II) with a computer-generated randomisation sequence (blocks of 2-4) in a 1:1 ratio to initial outpatient (ie, discharged from hospital ≤24 h after randomisation) or inpatient treatment with subcutaneous enoxaparin (≥5 days) followed by oral anticoagulation (≥90 days). The primary outcome was symptomatic, recurrent venous thromboembolism within 90 days; safety outcomes included major bleeding within 14 or 90 days and mortality within 90 days. We used a non-inferiority margin of 4% for a difference between inpatient and outpatient groups. We included all enrolled patients in the primary analysis, excluding those lost to follow-up. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00425542. FINDINGS Between February, 2007, and June, 2010, we enrolled 344 eligible patients. In the primary analysis, one (0·6%) of 171 outpatients developed recurrent venous thromboembolism within 90 days compared with none of 168 inpatients (95% upper confidence limit [UCL] 2·7%; p=0·011). Only one (0·6%) patient in each treatment group died within 90 days (95% UCL 2·1%; p=0·005), and two (1·2%) of 171 outpatients and no inpatients had major bleeding within 14 days (95% UCL 3·6%; p=0·031). By 90 days, three (1·8%) outpatients but no inpatients had developed major bleeding (95% UCL 4·5%; p=0·086). Mean length of stay was 0·5 days (SD 1·0) for outpatients and 3·9 days (SD 3·1) for inpatients. INTERPRETATION In selected low-risk patients with pulmonary embolism, outpatient care can safely and effectively be used in place of inpatient care. FUNDING Swiss National Science Foundation, Programme Hospitalier de Recherche Clinique, and the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Sanofi-Aventis provided free drug supply in the participating European centres.

Diagnosis of pulmonary embolism by multidetector CT alone or combined with venous ultrasonography of the leg: a randomised non-inferiority trial

BACKGROUND Multislice CT (MSCT) combined with D-dimer measurement can safely exclude pulmonary embolism in patients with a low or intermediate clinical probability of this disease. We compared this combination with a strategy in which both a negative venous ultrasonography of the leg and MSCT were needed to exclude pulmonary embolism. METHODS We included 1819 consecutive outpatients with clinically suspected pulmonary embolism in a multicentre non-inferiority randomised controlled trial comparing two strategies: clinical probability assessment and either D-dimer measurement and MSCT (DD-CT strategy [n=903]) or D-dimer measurement, venous compression ultrasonography of the leg, and MSCT (DD-US-CT strategy [n=916]). Randomisation was by computer-generated blocks with stratification according to centre. Patients with a high clinical probability according to the revised Geneva score and a negative work-up for pulmonary embolism were further investigated in both groups. The primary outcome was the 3-month thromboembolic risk in patients who were left untreated on the basis of the exclusion of pulmonary embolism by diagnostic strategy. Clinicians assessing outcome were blinded to group assignment. Analysis was per protocol. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00117169. FINDINGS The prevalence of pulmonary embolism was 20.6% in both groups (189 cases in DD-US-CT group and 186 in DD-CT group). We analysed 855 patients in the DD-US-CT group and 838 in the DD-CT group per protocol. The 3-month thromboembolic risk was 0.3% (95% CI 0.1-1.1) in the DD-US-CT group and 0.3% (0.1-1.2) in the DD-CT group (difference 0.0% [-0.9 to 0.8]). In the DD-US-CT group, ultrasonography showed a deep-venous thrombosis in 53 (9% [7-12]) of 574 patients, and thus MSCT was not undertaken. INTERPRETATION The strategy combining D-dimer and MSCT is as safe as the strategy using D-dimer followed by venous compression ultrasonography of the leg and MSCT for exclusion of pulmonary embolism. An ultrasound could be of use in patients with a contraindication to CT.

A Vaccine against Nicotine for Smoking Cessation: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Tobacco dependence is the leading cause of preventable death and disabilities worldwide and nicotine is the main substance responsible for the addiction to tobacco. A vaccine against nicotine was tested in a 6-month randomized, double blind phase II smoking cessation study in 341 smokers with a subsequent 6-month follow-up period. Methodology/Principal Findings 229 subjects were randomized to receive five intramuscular injections of the nicotine vaccine and 112 to receive placebo at monthly intervals. All subjects received individual behavioral smoking cessation counseling. The vaccine was safe, generally well tolerated and highly immunogenic, inducing a 100% antibody responder rate after the first injection. Point prevalence of abstinence at month 2 showed a statistically significant difference between subjects treated with Nicotine-Qβ (47.2%) and placebo (35.1%) (P = 0.036), but continuous abstinence between months 2 and 6 was not significantly different. However, in subgroup analysis of the per-protocol population, the third of subjects with highest antibody levels showed higher continuous abstinence from month 2 until month 6 (56.6%) than placebo treated participants (31.3%) (OR 2.9; P = 0.004) while medium and low antibody levels did not increase abstinence rates. After 12 month, the difference in continuous abstinence rate between subjects on placebo and those with high antibody response was maintained (difference 20.2%, P = 0.012). Conclusions Whereas Nicotine-Qβ did not significantly increase continuous abstinence rates in the intention-to-treat population, subgroup analyses of the per-protocol population suggest that such a vaccination against nicotine can significantly increase continuous abstinence rates in smokers when sufficiently high antibody levels are achieved. Immunotherapy might open a new avenue to the treatment of nicotine addiction. Trial Registration Swiss Medical Registry 2003DR2327; ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00369616

Subclinical Thyroid Dysfunction and the Risk of Heart Failure Events An Individual Participant Data Analysis From 6 Prospective Cohorts

Background— American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines for the diagnosis and management of heart failure recommend investigating exacerbating conditions such as thyroid dysfunction, but without specifying the impact of different thyroid-stimulation hormone (TSH) levels. Limited prospective data exist on the association between subclinical thyroid dysfunction and heart failure events. Methods and Results— We performed a pooled analysis of individual participant data using all available prospective cohorts with thyroid function tests and subsequent follow-up of heart failure events. Individual data on 25 390 participants with 216 248 person-years of follow-up were supplied from 6 prospective cohorts in the United States and Europe. Euthyroidism was defined as TSH of 0.45 to 4.49 mIU/L, subclinical hypothyroidism as TSH of 4.5 to 19.9 mIU/L, and subclinical hyperthyroidism as TSH <0.45 mIU/L, the last two with normal free thyroxine levels. Among 25 390 participants, 2068 (8.1%) had subclinical hypothyroidism and 648 (2.6%) had subclinical hyperthyroidism. In age- and sex-adjusted analyses, risks of heart failure events were increased with both higher and lower TSH levels (P for quadratic pattern <0.01); the hazard ratio was 1.01 (95% confidence interval, 0.81–1.26) for TSH of 4.5 to 6.9 mIU/L, 1.65 (95% confidence interval, 0.84–3.23) for TSH of 7.0 to 9.9 mIU/L, 1.86 (95% confidence interval, 1.27–2.72) for TSH of 10.0 to 19.9 mIU/L (P for trend <0.01) and 1.31 (95% confidence interval, 0.88–1.95) for TSH of 0.10 to 0.44 mIU/L and 1.94 (95% confidence interval, 1.01–3.72) for TSH <0.10 mIU/L (P for trend=0.047). Risks remained similar after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors. Conclusion— Risks of heart failure events were increased with both higher and lower TSH levels, particularly for TSH ≥10 and <0.10 mIU/L.Background— American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines for the diagnosis and management of heart failure recommend investigating exacerbating conditions such as thyroid dysfunction, but without specifying the impact of different thyroid-stimulation hormone (TSH) levels. Limited prospective data exist on the association between subclinical thyroid dysfunction and heart failure events. Methods and Results— We performed a pooled analysis of individual participant data using all available prospective cohorts with thyroid function tests and subsequent follow-up of heart failure events. Individual data on 25 390 participants with 216 248 person-years of follow-up were supplied from 6 prospective cohorts in the United States and Europe. Euthyroidism was defined as TSH of 0.45 to 4.49 mIU/L, subclinical hypothyroidism as TSH of 4.5 to 19.9 mIU/L, and subclinical hyperthyroidism as TSH <0.45 mIU/L, the last two with normal free thyroxine levels. Among 25 390 participants, 2068 (8.1%) had subclinical hypothyroidism and 648 (2.6%) had subclinical hyperthyroidism. In age- and sex-adjusted analyses, risks of heart failure events were increased with both higher and lower TSH levels ( P for quadratic pattern <0.01); the hazard ratio was 1.01 (95% confidence interval, 0.81–1.26) for TSH of 4.5 to 6.9 mIU/L, 1.65 (95% confidence interval, 0.84–3.23) for TSH of 7.0 to 9.9 mIU/L, 1.86 (95% confidence interval, 1.27–2.72) for TSH of 10.0 to 19.9 mIU/L ( P for trend <0.01) and 1.31 (95% confidence interval, 0.88–1.95) for TSH of 0.10 to 0.44 mIU/L and 1.94 (95% confidence interval, 1.01–3.72) for TSH <0.10 mIU/L ( P for trend=0.047). Risks remained similar after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors. Conclusion— Risks of heart failure events were increased with both higher and lower TSH levels, particularly for TSH ≥10 and <0.10 mIU/L. # Clinical Perspective {#article-title-42}

Subclinical Thyroid Dysfunction, Cardiac Function and the Risk of Heart Failure: The Cardiovascular Health Study

OBJECTIVES The goal of this study was to determine whether subclinical thyroid dysfunction was associated with incident heart failure (HF) and echocardiogram abnormalities. BACKGROUND Subclinical hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism have been associated with cardiac dysfunction. However, long-term data on the risk of HF are limited. METHODS We studied 3,044 adults>or=65 years of age who initially were free of HF in the Cardiovascular Health Study. We compared adjudicated HF events over a mean 12-year follow-up and changes in cardiac function over the course of 5 years among euthyroid participants, those with subclinical hypothyroidism (subdivided by thyroid-stimulating hormone [TSH] levels: 4.5 to 9.9, >or=10.0 mU/l), and those with subclinical hyperthyroidism. RESULTS Over the course of 12 years, 736 participants developed HF events. Participants with TSH>or=10.0 mU/l had a greater incidence of HF compared with euthyroid participants (41.7 vs. 22.9 per 1,000 person years, p=0.01; adjusted hazard ratio: 1.88; 95% confidence interval: 1.05 to 3.34). Baseline peak E velocity, which is an echocardiographic measurement of diastolic function associated with incident HF in the CHS cohort, was greater in those patients with TSH>or=10.0 mU/l compared with euthyroid participants (0.80 m/s vs. 0.72 m/s, p=0.002). Over the course of 5 years, left ventricular mass increased among those with TSH>or=10.0 mU/l, but other echocardiographic measurements were unchanged. Those patients with TSH 4.5 to 9.9 mU/l or with subclinical hyperthyroidism had no increase in risk of HF. CONCLUSIONS Compared with euthyroid older adults, those adults with TSH>or=10.0 mU/l have a moderately increased risk of HF and alterations in cardiac function but not older adults with TSH<10.0 mU/l. Clinical trials should assess whether the risk of HF might be ameliorated by thyroxine replacement in individuals with TSH>or=10.0 mU/l.

Prospective validation of the Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index. A clinical prognostic model for pulmonary embolism

Practice guidelines recommend outpatient care for selected patients with non-massive pulmonary embolism (PE), but fail to specify how these low-risk patients should be identified. Using data from U.S. patients, we previously derived the Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index (PESI), a prediction rule that risk stratifies patients with PE. We sought to validate the PESI in a European patient cohort. We prospectively validated the PESI in patients with PE diagnosed at six emergency departments in three European countries. We used baseline data for the rules 11 prognostic variables to stratify patients into five risk classes (I-V) of increasing probability of mortality. The outcome was overall mortality at 90 days after presentation. To assess the accuracy of the PESI to predict mortality, we estimated the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values for low- (risk classes I/II) versus higher-risk patients (risk classes III-V), and the discriminatory power using the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Among 357 patients with PE, overall mortality was 5.9%, ranging from 0% in class I to 17.9% in class V. The 186 (52%) low-risk patients had an overall mortality of 1.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.1-3.8%) compared to 11.1% (95% CI: 6.8-16.8%) in the 171 (48%) higher-risk patients. The PESI had a high sensitivity (91%, 95% CI: 71-97%) and a negative predictive value (99%, 95% CI: 96-100%) for predicting mortality. The area under the ROC curve was 0.78 (95% CI: 0.70-0.86). The PESI reliably identifies patients with PE who are at low risk of death and who are potential candidates for outpatient care. The PESI may help physicians make more rational decisions about hospitalization for patients with PE.

Smoking, smoking cessation, and risk of hip fracture in women

PURPOSE To examine the effects of cigarette smoking and smoking cessation on the risk of hip fracture in women. PATIENTS AND METHODS We studied 116,229 female nurses, 34 to 59 years of age at baseline in 1980, who were followed for up to 12 years. Smoking habits and the occurrence of incident hip fractures (n = 377) due to low or moderate trauma were self-reported on biennial mailed questionnaires. RESULTS Compared with women who had never smoked, the age-adjusted relative risk (RR) of hip fracture among current smokers was 1.3 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.0 to 1.7). The risk of hip fracture increased linearly (P = 0.09) with greater cigarette consumption (RR = 1.6, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.3 for 25 or more cigarettes per day). These associations were somewhat reduced by adjusting for other risk factors for osteoporosis (menopausal status, use of postmenopausal estrogen, physical activity, and intakes of calcium, alcohol, and caffeine): RR = 1.2, 95% CI 0.8 to 1.3 for all current smokers; RR = 1.4, 95% CI 0.9 to 2.1 for 25 or more cigarettes per day. Relative risks were further reduced when body mass index was added to the model. There was no apparent benefit from quitting smoking until 10 years after cessation. After 10 years, former smokers had a reduced risk of hip fracture (adjusted RR = 0.7, 95% CI 0.5 to 0.9) compared with current smokers. CONCLUSION Smokers are at increased risk of hip fracture and their risk rises with greater cigarette consumption. Risk declines among former smokers, but the benefit is not observed until 10 years after cessation. Both the increased risk among current smokers and the decline in risk after smoking cessation are in part accounted for by differences in body weight.

Validation of a clinical prognostic model to identify low-risk patients with pulmonary embolism

Objective.  To validate the Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index (PESI), a clinical prognostic model which identifies low‐risk patients with pulmonary embolism (PE).

Association of cigarettes smoked daily with obesity in a general adult population.

Objective: We analyzed the cross‐sectional association between obesity and smoking habits, taking into account diet, physical activity, and educational level.