Original Article
Effect of L-thyroxine versus placebo treatment on serum lipid levels in subclinical hypothyroidism
Chaoyi Jia, Li Qiao, Jiaqi Shi, Xiaoli Lan
Published 2016-09-25
Cite as Int J Radiat Med Nucl Med, 2016, 40(5): 350-356. DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.issn.1673-4114.2016.05.005
Abstract
ObjectiveSubclinical hypothyroidism is a common disease. However, whether L-thyroxine replacement treatment can affect serum lipids in cases of subclinical hypothyroidism remains controversial. The objective of this meta-analysis was to assess the effect of L-thyroxine therapy on serum lipid levels of patients with subclinical hypothyroidism.
MethodsLiterature dated until July 2015 was retrieved from the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar, and Embase searching for the keywords "hyroxine", "levothyroxin" and "levothyroxine". All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to determine the effects of L-thyroxine replacement on serum lipid levels were included in this study. After screening, the eligible RCTs were included in this meta-analysis. Statistical analyses were performed by the Review Manager 5.2 software. All the assessed outcomes were continuous data.
ResultsA total of 7 RCTs involving 319 patients were included. The overall methodological quality of the RCTs was good. Results showed that the serum low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) level significantly decreased after L-thyroxine treatment [mean difference (MD) : -0.23; 95% CI: [-0.44, -0.03]; P=0.02]. Meanwhile, changes in the total cholesterol (MD: -0.18; 95% CI: [-0.40, 0.03]; P=0.09) , triglyceride (MD: -0.02; 95% CI: [-0.17, 0.13]; P=0.78) , and high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (MD: -0.06; 95% CI: [-0.14, 0.02]; P=0.14) levels were not significant.
ConclusionsAll available RCT evidence on the effect of L-thyroxine on serum lipid levels in subclinical hypothyroidism revealed a significant improvement in the serum LDL-C levels. However, the serum TC, TG, and HDL-C levels did not significantly change.
Key words:
Thyroid hormones; Randomized controlled trials; Meta-analysis; Subclinical hypothyroidism; Serum lipids
Contributor Information
Chaoyi Jia
Department of Clinical Medicine, Tongji Medicial College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
Li Qiao
Department of Clinical Medicine, Tongji Medicial College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
Jiaqi Shi
Department of Clinical Medicine, Tongji Medicial College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
Xiaoli Lan
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China