Relationship between thyroid hormone levels and age in post-mortem cases

D. Miyamori, M. Takaso, N. Komeda, N. Ishikawa, H. Tsuboi, R. Bando, H. Ikegaya,

Abstract: Simple and low-cost age estimation methods that produce objective numerical values are required to aid the identification of cadavers. Clinical studies have revealed that thyroid hormone levels decrease in elderly people. However, no previous studies have examined the relationship between thyroid hormone levels and age in corpses in detail. In this study, we evaluated the correlations between the triiodothyronine (T3) or thyroxine (T4) levels of post-mortem blood samples and age and assessed whether these parameters can be used for estimating the ages of corpses.
The subjects’ T3 and T4 levels decreased with age, and negative correlations were detected between age and the T3/T4 level. A correlation was also observed between thyroid weight and age.
It was not possible to estimate age based on thyroid hormone levels alone. However, it might be possible to estimate the ages of unidentified cadavers more accurately by using thyroid level data together with other age estimation methods.
Keywords: Triiodothyronine, T3, thyroxin, T4, thyroid gland, aging, post-mortem blood.