Abstract
Background: Several studies undertaken in hospital-based specialty clinics have reported an association between hypertension and hypothyroidism. This work examines the association between these two common disorders in postmenopausal women seen within a primary care office setting.
Methods: Seven hundred seven postmenopausal women aged 50 years and older were studied using a cross-sectional design. Data on thyroid status, hypertension and risk factors, and patient demographics were collected from the office medical record.
Results: Overall, 45.4 percent of the population studied had hypertension and 10.9 percent had hypothyroidism. Compared with normotensive women, hypertensive women were significantly older (66.4 years versus 63.0 years, P < 0.0001) and had a higher body mass index (29.2 kg/m2 versus 26.2 kg/m2, P < 0.0001). Hypertension was significantly associated with diabetes mellitus and the use of NSAIDs (odds ratios [ORs] = 1.77 and 2.63, respectively). We did not find a significant association between hypertension and hypothyroidism (OR 1.04,95 percent confidence interval 0.64 to 1.76).
Conclusions: In this population of postmenopausal women we did not find hypertension to be associated with hypothyroidism.
