Endocrine Abstracts

Thyroid function hormone concentrations change during pregnancy. There is also a reduction in antibody titre and an increase in T helper-2 (Th2) immune responses. Thyroid antibodies (TPOAb) are associated with an increased risk of miscarriage but levothyroxine administration can reduce both miscarriage and premature delivery rates. Gestational hyperthyroidism may be due to hyperemesis gravidarum or Graves’ disease. Management of Graves’ hyperthyroidism is with antith...

We report 2 patients with Graves’ thyrotoxicosis complicated by jaundice.Case 1 - A 36 year old referred to the gastroenterologists with a 3-month history of general malaise, myalgia, jaundice, 4 stone weight loss and diarrhoea. A hepatitis and autoimmune liver screen were negative, bilirubin elevated at 200 umol/l, coagulation screen and ultrasound scan were normal and a liver biopsy showed cholestasis. Thyroid function tests (TFT’s) demonstra...

The presence of thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) is a marker of autoimmune thyroid disease and, when present in early pregnancy, is predictive of postpartum thyroiditis. In the course of undertaking the Controlled Antenatal Thyroid Screening Study we have taken the opportunity to measure TPOAb in a large number of samples from 11–16 weeks gestation by 3 different assays.The assays were (1) an in-house ELISA; (2) Bayer ADVIA Centaur anti-TPO ass...

Thyroid physiology in early pregnancy is characterised by an increase of thyroxine binding globulin. This has been taken into account when using total T4 (TT4) if a ‘T3 uptake test (TUp)’ is used to derive the FTI. The American Thyroid Association Guidelines (1990) recommend ceasing the use of uptake tests, although in the USA they are still widely used. The aim of this study is to compare the TT4 and TUp to the FT4 in early gestation. TT4, TUp, FT4 and TSH were meas...

Thyroid hormone resistance (THR) is associated with elevated FT4 and FT3 with inappropriately high TSH levels. T3 action is mediated by two types of thyroid hormone receptor, encoded by alpha and beta genes. We evaluated the endothelial function of a THR transgenic mouse model with a targeted mutation in the thyroid hormone beta receptor gene ex vivo.Isometric tension of aortic rings of 10 mice of each genotype (TRbPV/PV, TRbPV/+</...