Abstract Title:

Reversible subclinical hypothyroidism in the presence of adrenal insufficiency.

Abstract Source:

Endocr Pract. 2006 Sep-Oct;12(5):572. PMID: 17002934

Abstract Author(s):

Hussein D Abdullatif, Ambika P Ashraf

Article Affiliation:

Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism, The Children's Hospital of Alabama, University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama 35233, USA.

Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: To describe 3 different scenarios of reversible hypothyroidism in young patients with adrenal insufficiency. METHODS: We present 3 case reports of patients with adrenal insufficiency--one with delayed puberty, the second with type 1 diabetes and poor weight gain, and the third with hypoglycemia-related seizures and glucocorticoid deficiency--who had biochemical evidence of hypothyroidism. RESULTS: Our first patient (case 1) initially had a mildly elevated thyrotropin (thyroid-stimulating hormone or TSH) level and a normal free thyroxine (FT4) level that, on follow-up assessment, had progressed to persistent mild elevation of TSH and low FT4 concentration. The other 2 patients (cases 2 and 3) had low FT4 and mildly elevated TSH values at the time of diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency. In all 3 patients, the results of thyroid function tests normalized with use of physiologic doses of adrenal hormone replacement therapy, without thyroid hormone replacement. All 3 patients remained euthyroid after 4, 3, and 1 year of follow-up, respectively. CONCLUSION: These observations add insights into the complexities of the thyroadrenal interactions. These examples are important because thyroid hormone replacement in the setting of adrenal insufficiency could be unwarranted.

Study Type : Human Study

Print Options


Key Research Topics

This website is for information purposes only. By providing the information contained herein we are not diagnosing, treating, curing, mitigating, or preventing any type of disease or medical condition. Before beginning any type of natural, integrative or conventional treatment regimen, it is advisable to seek the advice of a licensed healthcare professional.

© Copyright 2008-2024 GreenMedInfo.com, Journal Articles copyright of original owners, MeSH copyright NLM.