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Recently Published Thyroid Research

These notes 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. 19, No. 2, 2007), a publication of the American Thyroid Association, and are available at www.thyroid.org. Dr. Utiger is the Editor-in-Chief of Clinical Thyroidology.

July 2007

Hyperthyroidism

• The frequency of hyperthyroidism is not related to iodine intake
  
  
• Congestive heart failure is rare in hyperthyroidism, and when present is associated with atrial fibrillation
  
  
• A low dose of methimazole is nearly as effective and is safer than a higher dose of methimazole or propylthiouracil in patients with Graves’ hyperthyroidism
  
  
• The addition of Chinese herbal medicines to standard treatment has little benefit in patients with hyperthyroidism
  
  
• Antithyroid drug therapy decreases the efficacy of radioiodine in patients with hyperthyroidism
  
  
• Serum C-reactive protein concentrations increase after radioiodine therapy in patients with hyperthyroidism
  
  
• Quality of life is not related to current thyroid status in patients treated for hyperthyroidism more than 10 years ago
  
  
• Agranulocytosis caused by antithyroid drugs occurs soon after therapy is started and lasts less than two weeks
  
  
• The frequency of cancer of several organs is slightly increased in patients with hyperthyroidism treated with radioactive iodine

Graves' Disease

• An antibody that depletes B lymphocytes may induce prolonged remissions in patients with hyperthyroidism caused by Graves’ disease

Graves' Ophthalmopathy

• Surgical removal of bone surrounding the eyes has long-term benefits in patients with Graves’ eye disease

Hypothyroidism

• Serum thyrotropin concentrations are lower in older than in younger patients with hypothyroidism
  
  
  
• Thyroxine has beneficial actions in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism
  

Nodular Goiter

• Thyroid incidentalomas are occasionally found in patients with head and neck cancer
  
  
• Few patients with thyroid nodules have high serum calcitonin concentrations indicative of medullary thyroid cancer

Thyroid Cancer

• Nonthyroid cancers that have spread to the thyroid are a rare cause of thyroid nodules
  
  
• Ethanol injection is an effective treatment for thyroid and lymph-node recurrences in patients with papillary thyroid cancer

Thyroiditis

• Measurements of thyroid blood flow may help differentiate between thyroiditis and Graves’ disease as causes of hyperthyroidism

Autoimmune Thyroid Disease

• Some patients with autoimmune thyroid disease have high serum titers of antipituitary antibodies and growth hormone deficiency

Thyroid Disease in Pregnancy

• The outcome of pregnancy is usually normal in women with low serum free thyroxine concentrations