Endocrine Abstracts

Objectives: We present findings from the UK arm of the THESIS collaboration, a pan-European survey of endocrinologists’ opinions and current practice in the management of hypothyroid and euthyroid disorders.Methods: UK clinical members of the Society of Endocrinology and the British Thyroid Association were invited to participate in an online survey.Results: 272 of 1295 (21%) eligible members completed the survey. More than 50...

Postpartum thyroiditis (PPT) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by lymphocytic infiltration of the thyroid gland and by the occurrence, in the postpartum period, of transient hyperthyroidism and/or transient hypothyroidism. Most women return to the euthyroid state by 1 year postpartum. The prevalence pf PPT is about 7.5–8.5%, then it represents a quite common disease, even if it may be asymptomatic in most cases. Women positive for thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOA...

Objectives: The use of levothyroxine (LT4) treatment aiming to improve fertility in euthyroid women with positive thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb), is not supported by the available evidence, however the extent to which this is applied in clinical practice is unknown. The aim of the study was to document the demographic, work-related characteristics, and therapeutic choices of European physicians in the case of euthyroid infertile women positive for TPOAb.<p class="ab...

Objectives: Some hypothyroid patients are critical of their care, although this appears to vary between countries. The quality of thyroid care delivered, and the perceived patient experience may be influenced by characteristics of specialists such as age, sex, experience, and workplace setting. Here, we aimed to explore geographical differences in thyroid specialist characteristics.Methods: THESIS is a large European questionnaire survey of thyroid speci...

Background: Hypothyroidism is one of the most frequent conditions in endocrinology. Despite of that fact, indications for treatment differ among specialists in Spain.Aims: To identify attitudes of Spanish endocrinologists in the use of levothyroxine (LT4) therapy and the management of hypothyroidism.Methods: The members of the Sociedad Española de Endocrinología y Nutrición (Spanish Society of Endocrinology ...

Objective: Thermal ablations (TA) are gaining ground as alternative options to conventional therapies for symptomatic benign thyroid nodules. Little is known on the impact of nodule biology on the outcomes of TA. The aim of our study was evaluating the baseline immunocytochemistry profile of thyroid nodules that are poorly responsive to TA, in order to identify potential predictors of treatment response.Methods: we retrospectively selected by propensity ...

Objectives: The use of thyroid hormones (TH) to treat obesity is not supported by evidence based on efficacy and safety, and this is reflected in recommendations of major international guidelines on hypothyroidism and obesity. We aimed to explore views about this practice among European thyroid specialists and their associations with respondent characteristics.Methods: Thyroid specialists from 28 countries were invited to participate in a questionnaire s...

Background: Levothyroxine (LT4) is considered the standard of care for hypothyroidism, however 5-10% of hypothyroid individuals complain of persistent symptoms despite achieving biochemical euthyroidism on LT4.Methods: 17,247 thyroid specialists from 28 countries were invited to participate in a survey. It enquired about respondents’ perceptions of the cause of hypothyroid-like persistent symptoms and how the prevalence of such complaints had change...

Background: Levothyroxine (LT4) monotherapy is the mainstay of treatment of hypothyroidism, but a sizeable minority of endocrinologists also use T3-containing treatments in some patients notwithstanding concern about their safety.Methods: 17,247 thyroidologists from 28 countries were invited to participate in a questionnaire survey. Geographic regions were defined according to the UN Statistics Division. Gross national income (GNI) information stems from...

It is known that high levels of TSH are associated with higher miscarriage risk, though the precise TSH cut-offs are debated. Aim of the present study was to evaluate if pre-conceptional TSH levels associate with increased risk of early miscarriage in a large series of infertile women submitted to IVF and to determine the threshold of TSH associated with the highest prevalence of pregnancy loss. We retrospectively studied 1484 infertile women (mean±age 36.7±4.1 years...