Author Interviews, Endocrinology, JAMA, Thyroid Disease / 02.10.2018

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: thyroid-gland-wikipediaDr. med. Martin Feller, MSc Epidemiology (LSHTM) FMH Allgemeine Innere Medizin & Prävention und Gesundheitswesen Scientific Research Coordinator INSELSPITAL, Universitätsspital Bern Universitätsklinik und Poliklinik für Allgemeine Innere Medizin (RodondiResearch) MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: SUBCLINICAL HYPOTHYROIDISM IS VERY COMMON, WITH AN ESTIMATED 13 MILLION AMERICANS AFFECTED. SUBCLINICAL HYPOTHYROIDISM IS OFTEN TREATED WITH LEVOTHYROXINE, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT CO-OCCURS WITH SYMPTOMS POTENTIALLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO HYPOTHYROIDISM SUCH AS TIREDNESS, CONSTIPATION, AND UNEXPLAINED WEIGHT GAIN. THIS PRACTICE MAY CONTRIBUTE TO LEVOTHYROXINE BEING THE MOST PRESCRIBED DRUG FROM 2014 ONWARDS IN THE US. HOWEVER, IN OUR META-ANALYSIS OF 21 RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS, WE OBSERVED NO BENEFIT OF LEVOTHYROXINE THERAPY (COMPARED TO PLACEBO) REGARDING GENERAL QUALITY OF LIFE, THYROID-RELATED SYMPTOMS, DEPPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, FATIGUE, COGNITIVE FUNCTION, BLOOD PRESSURE OR BODY-MASS INDEX.  (more…)
Author Interviews, Endocrinology, JCEM, Thyroid Disease / 14.10.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Antonio C. Bianco, MD, PhD Rush University Medical Center MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: The standard of care for patients with hypothyroidism is treatment with levothyroxine. The dosage of levothyroxine is adjusted for each patient with the goal of normalizing blood levels of TSH. About 15% of the patients treated this way exhibit variable degrees of residual symptoms, despite having a normal TSH level. These symptoms include difficulty losing weight, low energy and depression. However, given the subjective nature of these complains and that the blood levels of TSH are normal, many times such symptoms are dismissed by physicians as non-thyroid related. (more…)