Introduction:

There are no clear clinical guidelines for requesting thyroid tests in hospitalized patients. The necessity and profile of requested tests in hospitalized patients at the San Vicente Foundation University Hospital were evaluated.

Methods:

This retrospective study included patients over 14 years of age who were nonpregnant and hospitalized at the Hospital Universitario de San Vicente Fundación. A total of 351 records were evaluated in the clinical history system, six necessity groups were defined: categories 1 to 4 were considered necessary test requests, and 5 and 6 were considered unnecessary test requests. Demographic and clinical variables were recorded. Quantitative statistical variables were evaluated with the Mann-Whitney U test, and qualitative variables were evaluated with Pearson's chi square and Fisher's tests.

Results:

Normal values were obtained for 67% of the measured thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), 80% of the measured thyroxine (T4) and 53% of the measured triiodothyronine (T3). The most frequent abnormality in TSH was an elevation, observed in 24% of tests, the most frequent abnormality for free T4 (T4L) was a decline, observed in 11.5% of tests, and the most frequent abnormality for T3 was an elevation, as observed in 27% of tests. TSH ≤ 0.1 was found in 3.5% and ≥ 20 in 3.9% of tests. Of the 60 patients with elevated TSH, 75% had values between 5 and 9.99 mUI/mL; 11.5% had T4L values ≤ 0.7 ng/dL, and 8.6% had T4L values ≥ 1.48. In total, 95% of T4L measured in the unnecessary category was normal.

Conclusions:

Requests for necessary thy3roid tests during hospitalization should be improved. An initial approach is proposed only with TSH. (Acta Med Colomb 2019; 44. DOI: https://doi.org/10.36104/amc.2019.1057).

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