Thyroid-stimulating hormone and adverse left ventricular remodeling following ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

Adverse left ventricular remodeling is one of the major determinants of heart failure and mortality in patients surviving ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The hypothalamic–pituitary–thyroid axis is a key cardiovascular regulator; however, the relationship between hypothalamic–pituitary–thyroid status and post-STEMI left ventricular remodeling is unclear. We aimed to investigate the association between thyroid-stimulating hormone concentrations and the development of left ventricular remodeling following reperfused STEMI.

In this prospective observational study of 102 consecutive STEMI patients, thyroid-stimulating hormone levels were measured at the first day after infarction and 4 months thereafter. Cardiac magnetic resonance scans were performed within the first week as well as at 4 months follow-up to determine infarct characteristics, myocardial function and as primary endpoint left ventricular remodeling, defined as a 20% or greater increase in left ventricular end-diastolic volume.

Patients with left ventricular remodeling (n=15, 15%) showed significantly lower concentrations of baseline (1.20 [0.92–1.91] vs. 1.73 [1.30–2.60] mU/l; P=0.02) and follow-up (1.11 [0.86–1.28] vs. 1.51 [1.15–2.02] mU/l; P=0.002) thyroid-stimulating hormone. The association between baseline thyroid-stimulating hormone and left ventricular remodeling remained significant after adjustment for major clinical (peak high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T and C-reactive protein, heart rate; odds ratio (OR) 5.33, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.52–18.63; P=0.01) and cardiac magnetic resonance predictors of left ventricular remodeling (infarct size, microvascular obstruction, ejection fraction; OR 4.59, 95% CI 1.36–15.55; P=0.01). Furthermore, chronic thyroid-stimulating hormone was related to left ventricular remodeling independently of chronic left ventricular remodeling correlates (infarct size, ejection fraction, left ventricular end-diastolic volume, left ventricular end-systolic volume; OR 9.22, 95% CI 1.69–50.22; P=0.01).

Baseline and chronic thyroid-stimulating hormone concentrations following STEMI were independently associated with left ventricular remodeling, proposing a novel pathophysiological axis in the development of post-STEMI left ventricular remodeling.