Thyroid disease and hyperlipidaemia
Hypothyroidism:
- serum LDL cholesterol is raised; more rarely triglycerides are also raised
- LDL catabolism is reduced
- lipoprotein lipase activity and triglyceride catabolism may be reduced
- HDL may be increased - this is because of a reduced rate of transfer of cholesteroyl ester from HDL to other lipoproteins
- biliary excretion of cholesterol is reduced
Adequate thyroxine replacement reverses these effects.
Subclinical hypothyroidism:
- probably causes a slight increase in LDL cholesterol
Hyperthyroidism:
- generally results in reduced LDL and HDL
- increased triglycerides may occur
Reference
- Rizos C et al. Effects of Thyroid Dysfunction on Lipid Profile. Open Cardiovasc Med J. 2011; 5: 76–84.
Related pages
Create an account to add page annotations
Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.