Thyroid Hormone Concentrations, Disease, Physical Function, and Mortality in Elderly Men
I recall a study several years back that dealt with the oldest old and anti-thyroidal antibodies. Now, everyone has some degree of autoimmunity to our own tissues, and this reaction increases as we get older. In that particular study, the oldest old has less autoimmunity to their own thyroid.
This study again points to the importance of healthy thyroid function in maintaining long, healthy life. So the question arises, when someone starts to experience thyroid dysfunction in their 20s, and they are put on thyroid hormone without any type of evaluation into WHY they are having thyroid problems, are we depriving them of quality of life in their later years?
