Subclinical Thyroid Dysfunction and Risk of Myocardial Infarction and Stroke

To examine the association of subclinical hypothyroidism and risk of myocardial infarction and stroke in a large prospective cohort of post-menopausal women.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

BACKGROUND:

Cardiovascular disease, including myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke, is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH), in which thyroid hormone levels are in the normal range but thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is elevated, has been linked to abnormal lipid profiles, atherosclerosis, and MI. The literature is scant however, and the evidence constrained by small studies, many of cross-sectional design. Both the US Preventive Services Task Force and the Institute of Medicine recently concluded that current data are insufficient to inform clinical decision-making about the need for screening or treatment for SCH.

DESIGN NARRATIVE:

This is a case-cohort study within the 93,676-member Observational Study of the Women's Health Initiative, including 800 women who have experienced an MI, 750 with thrombotic/embolic stroke, and a randomly selected subcohort of 3,200 women density-matched for age, race/ethnicity, and clinical center. Participants have extensive baseline demographic, health, behavioral, and physical exam data and stored serum available. The investigators will measure TSH and thyroid hormone levels in order to identify SCH at entry. Follow-up includes annual health status updates and a physical exam in the third year; >=5 years have passed since enrollment for all women. Thus, using new laboratory studies and existing Women's Health Initiative (WHI) data, they will be able to answer these primary research questions: Among women without a history of thyroid disease, MI, or stroke: 1) Is subclinical hypothyroidism at baseline independently associated with risk of MI? 2) Is subclinical hypothyroidism at baseline independently associated with risk of ischemic stroke? 3) What form of association best describes the relationship between TSH, as a continuous measure, and risk of MI and stroke? 4) What are the population correlates (i.e., race/ethnicity, body mass index (BMI), hormone therapy, comorbidity) of SCH? This information - currently unavailable for middle-aged and older women - is germane to public health and health care policy to define the burden of illness associated with SCH, and to quantify the benefits and costs of eventual population screening and treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

3200

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

50 years to 79 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

Postmenopausal women aged 50-79 years, who enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Observational Study (n=93,676). Participants include African American, Asian, Hispanic/Latino and European-American individuals recruited from the communities surrounding the WHI study centers..

Description

No eligibility criteria

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Katherine Hartmann, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

September 1, 2004

Primary Completion (Actual)

July 1, 2007

Study Completion (Actual)

July 1, 2007

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 15, 2004

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 14, 2004

First Posted (Estimate)

October 15, 2004

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 25, 2017

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 21, 2017

Last Verified

December 1, 2015

More Information

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Myocardial Infarction

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