OBJECTIVE: The aim was to evaluate the quality of life (HRQoL) in women with subclinical hypothyroidism (sHT) after 16 weeks of endurance training. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In the first phase, a cross-sectional study was conducted in which 22 women with sHT (median age 41.5 (interquartile range 175) years, body mass index 26.2 (8.7) kg/m2, thyroid stimulating hormone > 4.94 mIU/L and free thyroxine between 0.8 and 1.3 ng/dL were compared to a group of 33 euthyroid women concerned to HRQoL. In the second phase, a randomized clinical trial was conducted where only women with sHT were randomly divided into two groups: sHT-Tr (n = 10) -- participants that performed an exercise program -- and sHT-Sed (n = 10) -- controls. Exercise training consisted of 60 minutes of aerobic activities (bike and treadmill), three times a week, for 16 weeks. The HRQoL was assessed by the SF-36 questionnaire in the early and at the end of four months. RESULTS: Women with sHT had lower scores on functional capacity domain in relation to the euthyroid ones (770 +/- 23.0 versus 88.8 +/- 14.6; p = 0.020). The sHT-Tr group improved functional capacity, general health, emotional aspects, mental and physical component of HRQoL after training period, while the sHT-Sed group showed no significant changes. CONCLUSION: After 16 weeks of aerobic exercise training, there were remarkable improvements in HRQoL in women with sHT.

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