[The level of thyroid stimulating hormones in different gender and age and the association with the risk of coronary heart disease in cohort population].

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels in different genders and ages, and the association between TSH level and the risk of coronary heart disease. Methods: The baseline survey was conducted using a multi-stage cluster random sampling method from September to December 2015, in Jurong City, Jiangsu Province. A total of 10 703 participants were included in the analysis. The proportion of participants with abnormally elevated TSH defined by three cut-off values (4.5, 7.0, and 10.0 mU/L) were calculated. The cohort was followed up until August 2023 to collect and verify new cases of coronary heart disease. The population was divided into age-and gender-specific quintile subgroups based on TSH. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between TSH and the risk of coronary heart disease. Results: The median age was [M (Q₁, Q₃)] 61.1(51.8, 67.9) years-old, and there were 4 168 males (38.94%) in the study. The proportions of participants with abnormally increased TSH rose with aging in different genders, and was higher in females than in males (all P_trend0.05). A total of 206 participants with coronary heart disease at baseline were excluded, and the other 10 497 were followed up for an average of (7.33±1.49) years, during which 350 new cases of coronary heart disease occurred, and the cumulative incidence rate was 3.34%. The cumulative incidence rates among TSH quintile Q1-Q5 groups were 3.62%, 3.32%, 3.56%, 3.28% and 2.57% respectively. Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that compared with TSH Q1 group, participants in Q5 group had a lowest risk of coronary heart disease (HR=0.704, 95%CI: 0.498-0.994). The TSH Q5 group was associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease in individuals60 years old (HR=0.484, 95%CI: 0.243-0.965), and the risk of coronary heart disease decreased as TSH levels increased (P_trend=0.008). Conclusions: TSH level increases with aging, and is higher in females than in males. In individuals 60 years old, higher levels of TSH may assaciate with a lower incidence rate of coronary heart disease.