Twice Weekly L-T4 for the Treatment of Primary Hypothyroidism
Journal Title: Turkish Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism - Year 2004, Vol 8, Issue 1
Abstract
This study was done to see whether levothyroxine (L-T4) given twice a week is effective and safe in the management of primary hypothyroidism in 20 patients with primary hypothyroidism who were followed by the outpatient clinic, Ankara University Medical School Department of Endocrinology. The patients were euthyroid on their usual once daily L-T4 treatment. They had neither coronary heart disease nor arrhythmia. Their ages were 20-50 and their mean daily L-T4 dose was 123.75±29.77 g (100-200). After the initial physical and biochemical evaluation, the patients were put on a twice daily L-T4 regimen on which they took four times their usual daily dose of L-T4 on Mondays, and three times that on Fridays. In the tenth week of that twice weekly L-T4 regimen, the patients were reevaluated. On twice weekly L-T4, serum mean free T3 level, (3.78±0.49 vs 4.05±0.47 pmol/L; p=0.02), antithyroglobulin antibody titer (369±679 vs 984±2950 IU/ml; p=0.04), SGOT level (18.75±4.78 vs 22.45±6.42 U/L; p=0.007), creatine phosphokinase level (110.75±25.60 vs 125.94±32.71 U/L; p= 0.04), PEP (50.5±8.41 vs 70.7±16.59 msec; p= 0.03), PEP/LVET ratio (0.202±0.04 vs 0.288±0.09; p= 0.0031), and mean diastolic blood pressure (78.75±6.86 vs 83.25±10.55 mmHg; p= 0.03) were lower. Serum sensitive TSH (3.69±1.32 vs 2.75±0.68 mIU/ml; p= 0.02) and osteocalcin levels (8.03±6.85 vs 3.39±2.32 ng/ml; p= 0.008) and mean pulse rate were higher. Due to the observed effects on heart and bone reminiscing hyperthyroidism, it is hard to accept twice weekly L-T 4 regimen as a suitable form of treatment for hypothyroidism.
Authors and Affiliations
Fevzi Altuntaş, Ali Uysal, Demet Çorapçıoğlu, Çetin Erol
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP84409
- DOI -
- Views 115
- Downloads 0
Tsunami Ve Diabetes Mellitus: A Story
Primary Pituitary Abscess Mimicking an Adenoma: A Rare Entity - Erratum
Pituitary abscesses, rare lesions, may be divided into primary and secondary types. A 26-years-old woman presented with decreasing vision, and headache. Magnetic resonance images (MRI) was suggestive of a sellar tumour....
Diabetic Extremity Infections
Extremity infections, especially the lower extremity infections, are the most common complication and cause of admittance to hospital in people with diabetes mellitus. The rate of lower March amputation is 40 times highe...
The Relationship Between The Glycemic Control and The Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Thyroid Axis in Diabetic Patients
Diabetes mellitus, similar to other nonthyroidal illnesses, is associated with circadian rhythm abnormalities of serum TSH and thyroid hormones. In this study, we investigated the effect of good and poor metabolic cont...
Bell’s Palsy as an Unfavorable Effect of Growth Hormone Therapy in a Pediatric Patient with Turner Syndrome
Bell’s palsy is defined as a lower motor neuron facial palsy of acute onset unaccompanied by evidence of an aural, a neurological or a local cause. Bell’s palsy is an uncommon cause of facial palsy in children under 10 y...