The following is a summary of “Trends and Components of Thyroid Status Evaluation in Commercially Insured Adults in the United States, 2006-2020,” published in the March 2024 issue of Endocrinology by Morris, et al.
For a study, researchers sought to analyze trends in thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) testing rates and components of thyroid function testing among adults aged 18-64 years without evidence of thyroid disease.
A retrospective analysis was conducted using data from the IBM MarketScan Claims Database, focusing on adults with continuous enrollment between 2006 and 2020. TSH tests per 1,000 eligible patient-months were measured and stratified by age, sex, and region. Additionally, the composition of thyroid function testing was assessed.
Among 67,353,280 eligible patients, 25,606,518 TSH tests were identified, with 15,138,211 patients having undergone at least one TSH test. The most common age group for TSH testing episodes was 45-54 years (29.8%), with females representing 63.6% of patients. TSH testing rates remained consistent throughout the study period, averaging 12.2 TSH tests per 1,000 person-months. However, there was a notable decline in TSH testing rates in the spring of 2020 (4.2 TSH tests per 1,000 person-months). Females exhibited nearly twice the rate of TSH testing compared to males (16.1 vs. 8.6 TSH tests per 1,000 person-months), and TSH testing rates increased with age (8.2 TSH tests per 1,000 person-months among individuals 18-34 years old vs. 15.4 TSH tests per 1,000 person-months among individuals 55-64 years old). No difference in TSH testing rates was noted between regions. Most thyroid function testing episodes included only TSH (70.8%).
The study concluded that TSH testing rates among commercially insured individuals without known thyroid disease remained stable, with higher rates observed in females and older age groups.
Reference: academic.oup.com/jcem/article-abstract/109/3/611/7330814