Neurocognitive Disorders

Hypothyroidism Contributes to Alzheimer Disease Mortality

Jessica Nye, PhD
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Publish Date
Hypothyroidism mortality was a significant contributor to Alzheimer disease mortality.

Hypothyroidism, but not hyperthyroidism, is a significant contributor to Alzheimer disease (AD) mortality, according to study results presented at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology Annual Meeting 2025, held from May 15 to 17, 2025 in Orlando, FL.

Evidence from preclinical studies have suggested that perturbations in thyroid hormone levels may increase risk for elevated levels of b-amyloid and tau phosphorylation, which are hallmark features of AD.

Investigators from the University of Wisconsin sourced data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiology Research (WONDER) database. Deaths in the United States in 2022 attributed to hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism were evaluated for associations with AD.

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[W]e found a strong association between hypothyroidism mortality and AD mortality that persisted after adjusting for age and gender.

A total of 32,707 deaths had hypothyroidism as a contributing factor in 2022.

Decedents with a primary cause of death attributed to AD were more than 80% more likely to have hypothyroidism listed as a contributing factor than patients who did not have AD-associated mortality (odds ratio [OR], 1.83; 95% CI, 1.75-1.91; P <.001).

The relationship between hypothyroidism mortality and AD mortality remained significant after adjusting for age (adjusted OR [aOR], 1.33; 95% CI, 1.27-1.39; P <.001) or age and gender (aOR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.16-1.27; P <.001).

In contrast, hyperthyroidism mortality was not associated with AD mortality (OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.87-1.934; P =.44).

Study limitations include lack of access to data about thyroid function or other potentially confounding factors.

The study authors concluded, “[W]e found a strong association between hypothyroidism mortality and AD mortality that persisted after adjusting for age and gender. We found no association between hyperthyroidism and AD in adjusted or unadjusted analyses. […] Our findings highlight the need for prospective cohort studies with long follow-up durations to determine the nature of this relationship.”

This article originally appeared on Endocrinology Advisor

References:

Paudel S, Pabich S. Association between thyroid dysfunction and Alzheimer’s disease: insights from the U.S. Mortality Database. Abstract presented at: American Association of Clinical Endocrinology Annual Meeting 2025; May 15, 2025; Orlando, FL.