Serum thyrotropin levels predict all-cause and circulatory mortality in patients with invasively treated coronary artery disease

The aim of the present study was to analyze the relation of low or high serum thyrotropin (TSH) with mortality in patients with invasively treated coronary artery disease. We followed-up 942 patients who underwent coronary angioplasties or coronary artery bypass graft surgery over a mean follow-up period of 6.4 ± 1.6 years. The study population was divided into three groups using the reference limits of serum TSH (0.25-2.12 mIU/l) as cut-offs. There were 118 patients (12.5%) with low and 125 patients (13.3%) with high serum TSH. One hundred and seventy-four subjects (18.5%) deceased during follow-up. Multivariable analyses revealed that both subjects with low and high serum TSH had a lower all-cause and circulatory mortality than subjects with serum TSH within the reference range. We conclude that low and high serum TSH levels are associated with a reduced all-cause and circulatory mortality in patients with coronary artery disease.