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Physical performance across the thyroid function values within the normal range in adult and older persons

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Abstract

Background

Thyroid hormone variation may be correlated with adverse health outcomes, even within the normal reference range in euthyroid individuals.

Aims

To determine the association between plasma thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3), and free thyroxine (FT4) levels and physical performance score in middle age and older adults who had levels of all three hormones in the normal range.

Methods

In this community-based, cross-sectional study, euthyroid participants of the Invecchiare in Chianti study, aged 23–102 years (N = 1060), were considered. Physical performance was evaluated by the Summary Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) score. Plasma TSH, FT3, and FT4 levels were predictors, and SPPB score was the outcome.

Results

At the univariate analyses, TSH, FT4, and FT3 were not significantly associated with SPPB score in young individuals, whereas, in older participants, SBBP score was positively (P < 0.001) associated with FT3, and negatively associated with both TSH (P < 0.02) and FT4 (P < 0.001). After adjusting for multiple confounders, FT3 remained significantly associated with SPPB (beta ± SE, 0.35 ± 0.17, P = 0.04), but FT4 and TSH were not. Results did not change when all the three hormones FT3, FT4, and TSH were simultaneously considered in the fully adjusted model (beta ± SE for FT3, 0.37 ± 0.18, P = 0.04).

Discussion

The results of this study demonstrate that SPPB score is positively associated with circulating FT3 but not with FT4 or with TSH, in older euthyroid individuals.

Conclusions

In euthyroid older adults, circulating FT3 may play an important role in the thyroid effects on physical function.

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Funding

This work was supported as a “target project” (ICS 110.1|RS97.71) by the Italian Ministry of Health and, in part, by the U.S. National Institute on Aging (Contracts 263_MD_9164_13 and 263_MD_821336), and by Grant No. FIL0774249 from MURST, Rome (to G.C.)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine and Surgery, Endocrinology of Aging Unit, University Hospital of Parma, Via Gramsci, 14-43126, Parma, Italy

    Graziano Ceresini, Michela Marina, Marcello Maggio, Maria Francesca Serra & Gian Paolo Ceda

  2. Critical Care Unit, University of Parma, Parma, Italy

    Fulvio Lauretani & Tiziana Meschi

  3. Geriatric Unit, ASF Toscana, Florence, Italy

    Stefania Bandinelli

  4. National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Luigi Ferrucci

Authors
  1. Graziano Ceresini
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  2. Michela Marina
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  3. Fulvio Lauretani
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  4. Marcello Maggio
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  5. Maria Francesca Serra
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  6. Tiziana Meschi
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  7. Stefania Bandinelli
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  8. Gian Paolo Ceda
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  9. Luigi Ferrucci
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Graziano Ceresini.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

The study protocol complied with the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Italian National Institute of Research and Care on Aging Ethical Committee.

Informed consent

All subjects provided a written informed consent prior to study enrollment.

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Ceresini, G., Marina, M., Lauretani, F. et al. Physical performance across the thyroid function values within the normal range in adult and older persons. Aging Clin Exp Res 31, 385–391 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-018-0975-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-018-0975-0

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