Older people have high levels of thyroid hormone that increases their risk of heart disease

Older people with higher levels of thyroid hormone may face the risk of arterial disease and heart disease and consequently die prematurely.

Specifically, Free thyroxine (called FT4) is a hormone produced by the thyroid gland that helps control the rate at which the body uses energy.

The study added that older people with high levels of FT4 may be twice as likely to develop coronary artery calcification, which is a thickening and hardening process of the artery wall from internal fat.

"We believe that thyroid function will affect the risk of developing atherosclerosis by affecting cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure. However, our results also take into account a number of cardiovascular risk factors , " said Arjola Bano, Erasmus University, Netherlands in a statement.

"This suggests that other mechanisms may increase the risk of traditional cardiovascular disease," Bano added.

Furthermore, an increase in the level of FT4 is associated with an 87% higher risk of cardiovascular disease related to atherosclerosis as well as a doubling of the risk of cardiovascular death related to atherosclerosis. .

"Our findings suggest that thyroid FT4 measurements can help identify individuals at high risk for atherosclerosis," Bano said.