Some aspects of hypothyroidism in elderly.

The frequency of hypothyroidism does not diminish with age but there is a considerable change in its clinical pattern. The data of 169 patients treated with primary hypothyroidism were processed by means of computer analysis. They were put, in accordance with their basic diseases, into 5 groups: idiopathic (50.3%); chronic thyroiditis (26.6%); as a result of the ablative treatment of Graves' disease (17.2%); nodular goitre (4.7%) and thyroid malignancy (1.2%). According to age, the patients fell into 4 groups. III patients were between 50 and 90 years of age. In most cases the identification of the disease was belated. The usual symptoms that might lead to the consideration of hypothyroidism are edema not reacting to diuretics, anemia, and high blood lipid values. In 18 patients with a previous case history of immunothyroiditis, the cultured monocyte monolayers were examined for the activity of the specific and the scavenger LDL receptors and for the intracellular breakdown of LDL.