Now, keep up to date
with daily feeds of newly posted stories
about America's Seniors...click on the box
to the left
Octogenarians at increased risk of serious
complications following Thyroid Surgery
Newswise — Patients 80 years
old and over are significantly more likely
to have complications following thyroid
surgery than younger patients, according to
data presented on Oct. 3, 2008 at the
79th Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid
Association (ATA) in Chicago, IL.
The likelihood of developing
a thyroid nodule, a small lump, increases
with age and in part represents the aging
process of the thyroid gland. Approximately
5% of all nodules are cancerous and are
often removed surgically.
A team of researchers from
the Massachusetts General Hospital in
Boston, Mass. retrospectively reviewed the
records of 90 patients 80 years and older
who underwent thyroid surgery between July
2001 and October 2007 for benign disease,
malignancy, or for somewhat suspicious
lesions.
Using SAS statistical
software, they then compared these patients’
records with the records of randomly
selected patients between the ages of 18 and
79 who underwent surgery during the same
time period.
Researchers found that
patients 80 years and older were
significantly more likely to have
complications related to surgery than
younger patients.
Complications unique to
patients 80 years and older included several
serious and life threatening conditions,
such as heart failure, atrial fibrillation,
pneumonia, tracheotomy, urosepsis, the need
for blood transfusion, wound infection, and
ischemic colitis.
“While our study shows that
thyroid surgery is safe in octogenarians,
and no patients died from thyroid surgery,
these patients are at a greatly increased
risk of serious complications,” said Sareh
Parangi, M.D., and Michal Mekel, M.D.,
investigators of the study.
“These data underscore the
need for early intervention among the
elderly, improved risk stratification among
patients who are older than 80 years, and a
multi-disciplinary approach to treatment
that includes geriatric specialists.”
About the American Thyroid
Association (ATA)
The American Thyroid Association (ATA) is
the lead organization in promoting thyroid
health and understanding thyroid biology.
The ATA values scientific
inquiry, clinical excellence, public
service, education, collaboration, and
collegiality.
A non-profit medical society
founded in 1923, the ATA fulfills its
mission through supporting excellence and
innovation in research, clinical care,
education, and public health.
ATA members are physicians
and scientists who work to enhance the
understanding of thyroid physiology and
pathophysiology, improve the diagnosis and
treatment of thyroid diseases, and promote
the education of physicians, patients, and
the public about thyroid disorders.
Thyroid diseases are among
the most common disorders of the endocrine
system, affecting almost 13 million
Americans alone.
The ATA has extensive online
information for patients on thyroid disease
(in English and Spanish) serving the
clinician as a resource for patients and the
public who look for reliable information on
the internet.
To learn more about the ATA,
visit: http://www.thyroid.org.
Distribution of information
regarding research presented at ATA meetings
is thought to be of interest to the public,
however, this does not imply official
endorsement by the ATA.
...
...
...