No Benefit to Treating Subclinical Hypothyroidism in Older Patients According to reports, 8% to 18% of adults over age 65 years have subclinical hypothyroidism, characterized by high thyroid-stimulating hormone levels with normal T4 levels. The use of thyroid hormone replacement to treat subclinical hypothyroidism in older patients, however, is controversial, and a recent study in The New England Journal of Medicine found no benefit to levothyroxine in relieving the symptoms of hypothyroidism in this age group. Read more. |