Normal thyroid-stimulating hormone levels, autoimmune activation, and coronary heart disease risk

Whether euthyroid status affects cardiovascular disease risk is unclear. We aimed to investigate whether serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels within the normal range are related to the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). In participants of the Turkish Adult Risk Factor Study (mean age 52.7 ± 11.5), in whom TSH was measured in the 2004/05 survey, cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were performed. Subjects with TSH concentrations 4.2 mIU/L were excluded to ensure euthyroid status leaving 956 individuals as the study sample. Mean follow-up was 4.81 ± 1.3 years. Men had 18 % lower ( p