Serum Thyroid Peroxidase Antibody Level and Incident Hypertension in Iranian Men: A Suggestion for the Role of Thyroid Autoimmunity.

BACKGROUND

Dysfunction of the thyroid gland has profound effects on the cardiovascular system.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to explore the relation of serum thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPO-Ab), as a marker of thyroid autoimmunity with incident hypertension among a euthyroid population.

METHODS

A total of 3681 participants (1647 men) entered the study. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were conducted to estimate the association between TPO-Ab and incident hypertension.

RESULTS

The mean age (standard deviation) of the participants was 37.5 (12.8) years. During a median follow-up of 12.2 years, 511 men and 519 women developed hypertension. The multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) and related 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of 1-unit increase in natural logarithm (ln) of TPO-Ab for incident hypertension were 1.09 (1.00-1.19), 1.03 (0.97-1.10), and 1.05 (1.00-1.11) for men, women, and total population, respectively. Moreover, considering the TPO-Ab status as a categorical variable (i.e. TPO-Ab positive or TPO-Ab negative), the multivariate-adjusted HRs (95% CIs) of TPO-Ab positivity for incident hypertension, were 1.33 (0.95-1.85), 1.12 (0.86-1.45) and 1.19 (0.97- 1.46) for men, women, and total population, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Elevated serum TPO-Ab level can contribute to the development of hypertension among euthyroid men during a long follow-up; suggesting a role for thyroid autoimmunity.