Key result
Six female runners presenting with persistent fatigue and deteriorating performance were all diagnosed with primary hypothyroidism secondary to thyroiditis, highlighting it as an easily overlooked cause.
Case Report (n=6)
Primary hypothyroidism should be considered as a cause of persistent fatigue and deteriorating performance in runners, especially when accompanied by high serum cholesterol.
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Hypothyroidism may explain fatigue in female runners; this Level 5 case series leaves open the value of routine screening.
In brief Six female runners, aged 24 to 48, complained of persistent fatigue and deteriorating running performance; four of them had unusually high serum cholesterol levels. All were diagnosed as having primary hypothyroidism secondary to thyroiditis, an easily overlooked cause of persistent fatigue. Hypothyroidism develops gradually, over a period of months to years. Signs and symptoms are nonspecific and clinical findings are few, making diagnosis difficult. However, increased thyroid-stimulating hormone levels readily confirm a diagnosis of hypothyroidism when the serum free thyroxine index is low.
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S. Robert Lathan (1991) conducted a case report in Primary hypothyroidism (n=6). Primary hypothyroidism secondary to thyroiditis was evaluated on Diagnosis of primary hypothyroidism. Six female runners presenting with persistent fatigue and deteriorating performance were all diagnosed with primary hypothyroidism secondary to thyroiditis, highlighting it as an easily overlooked cause.
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