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The antithyroid drug methimazole had little effect on thyroid function in patients with psoriasis
The background of the study. Patients with psoriasis,
a sometimes debilitating skin disease, may benefit from therapy
with an antithyroid drug, possibly because of an immunomodulatory
action of the drug. This study determined the efficacy and effects
of a high dose of methimazole in patients with psoriasis.
How the study was done. Eight patients (one woman, seven men; mean age, 36 years) with long-standing psoriasis (mean duration, 15 years) were treated with 30 mg of methimazole daily for 12 weeks (the dose was reduced to 20 mg daily in three patients after 8 to 10 weeks because they had a >85 percent decrease in the extent and severity of psoriasis). Serum thyrotropin (TSH), free thyroxine (T4), and free triiodothyronine (T3) were measured before treatment, during treatment, and at the end of treatment.
The results of the study. During the 12-week treatment period, five patients had a complete remission or moderate to marked improvement in psoriasis, one improved slightly, and two did not improve. Before treatment, all the patients had normal serum TSH, free T4, and free T3 concentrations. During treatment, no patient had any clinical manifestations of hypothyroidism, and serum free T4 and free T3 concentrations remained within the normal range in all patients. Serum TSH values decreased in one patient, were unchanged in four patients, and increased in three patients. (In patients with hyperthyroidism treated with these doses of methimazole, thyroid function often falls to normal in 12 weeks).
The conclusions of the study. Methimazole, in a dose of 30 mg daily for 12 weeks, was effective therapy and had surprisingly little antithyroid activity in patients with psoriasis.
The original article. Hasegawa M, Abe M, Ohnishi
K, Shoji C, Ishikawa O. Clinical usefulness of a long-term treatment
with an antithyroid drug for psoriasis vulgaris. J Dermatol 2004;31:794-7.
Next Article: Rifampin, an antituberculosis
drug, can cause hypothyroidism in patients with Hashimoto’s
thyroiditis |
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| Thyroid Digest Index | | | March 2005 Thyroid Digest |
