In order to assess the thyroid function of patients with nonthyroidal illness, 292 patients with nonthyroidal illness were employed in the present study. These patients were then subdivided into 6 groups according to their original illness. The groups consisted of patients with malignant illnesses (19 males and 10 females; mean age of 59.7 yr.), with chronic hepatitis (14 males and 8 females; mean age of 55.2 yr.), with liver cirrhosis (5 males and 6 females, mean age of 60.4 yr.), with uremia who had been receiving constant hemodialysis 2 approximately 3 times per week (52 males and 38 females; mean age of 48.1 yr.), with diabetes mellitus (50 males and 43 females; mean age of 52.3 yr.) and with cerebrovascular accident (21 males and 26 females; mean age of 74.9 yr.). In addition, 34 healthy persons (15 males and 19 females; mean age of 41.6 yr.) were also employed as controls. Because the differences between mean ages in these groups were significant, the relationship between age and thyroid function was examined. Significant positive correlations between age and total thyroxine (TT4) (r = 0.19; p less than 0.01), and reverse triiodothyronine (rT3) (r = 0.175; p less than 0.01) were found. A negative correlation was also found between age and total triiodothyronine (TT3) (r = 0.231; p less than 0.01). The serum levels of rT3 were elevated in patients with neoplasma and liver cirrhosis but significantly low in patients with uremia. These characteristic findings were correlated with the severity of each original disease such as % motarity, serum levels of cholinesterase, blood urea nitrogens and the blood sugar control in the diabetics. In these circumstances, multiple correlation analyses were performed in order to assess whether there might exist a negative feedback mechanism between thyrotropin and FT4/FT3. The highest partial correlation coefficient was obtained between thyrotropin and FT4. It might, therefore, be concluded that in patients with a nonthyroidal illness, decreased levels of serum thyroid hormones indicate not only the severity of the illness but also the supposed presence of a hypothyroid state.