Thyroid status and serum cholesterol levels are intimately linked. Hypothyroidism causes hypercholesterolaemia, which is thought to be resolved after treatment with levothyroxine and normalization of thyroid-stimulating hormone. However, some studies indicate that hypercholesterolaemia persists despite treatment, requiring more frequent use of statins.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$29.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$209.00 per year
only $17.42 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Peterson, S. J., McAninch, E. A. & Bianco, A. C. Is a normal TSH synonymous with “euthyroidism” in levothyroxine monotherapy? J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 101, 4964–4973 (2016).
Lee, Y. K. et al. Association between thyroid- stimulating hormone level after total thyroidectomy and hypercholesterolemia in female patients with differentiated thyroid cancer: a retrospective study. J. Clin. Med. 8, e1106 (2019).
Ito, M. et al. Biochemical markers reflecting thyroid function in athyreotic patients on levothyroxine monotherapy. Thyroid 27, 484–490 (2017).
Escobar-Morreale, H. F. et al. Replacement therapy for hypothyroidism with thyroxine alone does not ensure euthyroidism in all tissues, as studied in thyroidectomized rats. J. Clin. Invest. 96, 2828–2838 (1995).
McAninch, E. A. et al. Systemic thyroid hormone status during levothyroxine therapy in hypothyroidism: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 103, 4533–4542 (2018).
Wu, Y. & Koenig, R. J. Gene regulation by thyroid hormone. Trends Endocrinol. Metab. 11, 207–211 (2000).
Duntas, L. H. & Brenta, G. A renewed focus on the association between thyroid hormones and lipid metabolism. Front. Endocrinol. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2018.00511 (2018).
Stock, J. M., Surks, M. I. & Oppenheimer, J. H. Replacement dosage of L-thyroxine in hypothyroidism. A re-evaluation. N. Engl. J. Med. 290, 529–533 (1974).
Gullo, D. et al. Levothyroxine monotherapy cannot guarantee euthyroidism in all athyreotic patients. PloS One. 6, e22552 (2011).
Ito, M. et al. TSH-suppressive doses of levothyroxine are required to achieve preoperative native serum triiodothyronine levels in patients who have undergone total thyroidectomy. Eur. J. Endocrinol. 167, 373–378 (2012).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bianco, A.C., Taylor, P. Levothyroxine treatment and cholesterol in hypothyroidism. Nat Rev Endocrinol 16, 193–194 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-020-0323-2
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-020-0323-2