American Thyroid Association. Scientists & Physicians Dedicated to Better Understanding & Treatment of Thyroid Diseases.

Thyroid Digest March 2004

Print page Email page

Recently Published Thyroid Research

This Thyroid Digest describing published research studies were prepared by Robert D. Utiger, M.D., from summaries of original research articles. The summaries were published in Clinical Thyroidology (Vol. 16, No. 1, 2004), a publication of the American Thyroid Association. Dr. Utiger is the Editor-in-Chief of Clinical Thyroidology.

 

Thyroid Disease

  1. Patients with subclinical thyroid disease have few clinical abnormalities and treatment has no proven benefit

Hyperthyroidism

  1. Heart failure in pregnant women with hyperthyroidism is usually precipitated by a disorder of pregnancy
  2. Accidental ingestion of high doses of thyroid hormone by children rarely causes hyperthyroidism
  3. In hyperthyroidism therapy with methimazole after therapy with radioiodine does not reduce the efficacy of radioiodine

Hypothyroidism

  1. Thyroxine plus triiodothyronine and thyroxine alone have similar efficacy in hypothyroid patients who have depressive symptoms
  2. Thyroxine plus triiodothyronine and thyroxine alone have similar efficacy in patients with hypothyroidism
  3. Thyroxine alone is as effective as triiodothyronine plus thyroxine in improving symptoms and cognitive function in hypothyroid patients

Congenital Hypothyroidism

  1. Mutations in a thyroid hormone–transport molecule cause neurologic and thyroid abnormalities
  2. Thyroid radioiodine imaging is superior to ultrasonography in determining the cause of congenital hypothyroidism
  3. Hypothyroidism can occur in infants of mothers with hyperthyroidism caused by Graves’ disease during pregnancy

Nodular Goiter

  1. Some incidentally detected thyroid nodules are carcinomas

Thyroid Cancer

  1. Serum calcitonin should be measured in patients with thyroid nodules
  2. Ultrasonography is valuable for detecting lymph-node metastases and local recurrence in patients with thyroid carcinoma

Thyroid Function in Pregnancy

  1. Increased serum binding only partly explains the need for higher thyroxine doses in pregnant women with hypothyroidism

Thyroiditis

  1. Painless thyroiditis may be followed by recurrent hyperthyroidism in patients with Graves’ disease

Autoimmune Thyroid Disease

  1. Seasonal allergic rhinitis may lead to recurrence of hyperthyroidism in women with Graves’ disease
  2. Patients with Hashimoto’s encephalopathy have high cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of antithyroid antibodies

Iodine Deficiency

  1. Iodine deficiency is a major health problem worldwide

Drug Effects on Thyroid Function

  1. Kelp has a weak antithyroid effect in normal subjects

Thyroid Hormone Secretion

  1. Megalin facilitates thyroid hormone secretion by removing thyroid hormone–poor thyroglobulin
 
Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Contact Us
Copyright © 2008 American Thyroid Association. All rights reserved.
Site Design by Intertwine Systems, Inc.