Study of Optimal Replacement of Thyroxine in the Elderly
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2014-08-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
All patients with hypothyroidism are currently treated the same way, regardless of age. The
investigators want to look at whether people aged 80 years or older would benefit from being
treated with lower doses of levothyroxine. There are three reasons why the investigators
think this could be beneficial, but this is not yet proven:
1. Some older people with hypothyroidism may have few symptoms.
2. Doctors look at the amount of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) in the patient's blood
to decide the dose of Thyroxine received. The standard "normal" TSH range used to
determine the dose of levothyroxine is from younger people. The investigators wonder
whether this is appropriate to all age ranges particularly as the investigators know
that older people may normally have higher TSH values.
3. If TSH levels are too low there may be a slight increased risk of problems such as
brittle bones or an irregular heartbeat.
The best way to test whether older people benefit from lower doses of levothyroxine is by a
large clinical trial. Before the investigators can do this, the investigators need to run a
smaller clinical trial called a "pilot study" (SORTED 1) to examine whether this is practical
and acceptable. The pilot study aims to recruit 50 patients with hypothyroidism aged 80 or
above.
Participants will be randomly allocated to receive their routine or lower dose of
levothyroxine. Follow-up will be conducted over approximately 25 weeks.
The investigators also propose a qualitative study (SORTED 2) to specifically understand
patient's willingness to take part in a RCT and participant's experience of the intervention.
Finally, the investigators propose a retrospective cohort study of 400 treated hypothyroid
patients aged 80 years or more registered in 2008 in Primary Care Practices with the aim of
studying outcomes after 4 years. The cohort study will collect data required to inform a
sample size calculation for a future full study where the primary outcome will be 4 year
mortality.
Phase:
Phase 4
Details
Lead Sponsor:
Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust
Collaborator:
National Institute for Health Research, United Kingdom