Having an over-active thyroid gland is a major risk factor for heart disease, a conference was being told today.
Researchers said this applied to people with thyroid activity that would not normally be regarded as a cause of illness.
Hyperthyroid illnesses can cause high blood pressure, weight loss and stress.
But the Danish researchers say many people may have undetected high thyroid levels.
The findings were being reported to the European Congress of Endocrinology in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Researchers studied more than half a million people who underwent thyroid testing in Copenhagen.
They found more than 6,000 patients showing sub-clinical hyperthyroidism – meaning that thyroid activity would not be identified as a medical problem. Some 700 of these died and the researchers say that 15% of these deaths might be linked to thyroid activity.
Another 13,000 patients had normal levels of thyroid activity – but at a relatively high level. Some 1,000 of these died and the researchers say 17% of these deaths might be linked to thyroid activity.
Researcher Dr Christian Selmer, of Gentofte University Hospital, Denmark, said about 50,000 of those in the study died during the research and just 278 deaths were linked to thyroid activity.
He said: "We can’t point to an individual and say he or she died because of the condition, and subclinical hyperthyroidism is one of many risk factors.
"Nevertheless, this needs to be taken seriously. I think that the take-home message is that if a person has a family history with any thyroid problem, or has any signs of thyroid problems, then they should go for a check-up.
"More than that, their family doctors need to be aware that any sign of thyroid abnormality can affect cardiovascular health, and they should act accordingly."
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