Amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis

Bidirectional Association between Periodontitis and Thyroid Disease: A Scoping Review

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the tissues surrounding and supporting the teeth. Due to the development of chronic inflammation, periodontitis can contribute to the development of several systemic diseases, including thyroid disease. Thyroid pathology includes benign, malignant, and autoimmune conditions leading to hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, or euthyroidism. Alterations in thyroid hormones, especially hypothyroidism, can reveal significant oral manifestations, including periodontitis. This scoping review aims to explore the probable causal relationship between periodontitis and thyroid disease, in terms of epidemiology, pathogenesis, and treatment. The search strategy follows the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane were searched from January 2014 to January 2024, entering the MESH terms "periodontitis" and "thyroid". Of 153 initial records, 20 articles were selected and discussed. There is a high prevalence of periodontitis among patients with thyroid disease, including thyroid cancer. The causes at the basis of this association are genetic factors, the oral microbiome, and proinflammatory cytokines. Periodontal treatment, specifically scaling and root planning, can ameliorate thyroid parameters. Although there are a few randomized controlled studies in the literature, this review lays the foundation for a bidirectional relationship between periodontitis and thyroid disease, the link to which is, once again, systemic inflammation.

[Type 2 amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis: efficacy of glucocorticoid therapy, a retrospective analysis]

BACKGROUND

Type 2 amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis remains a significant problem of endocrinology and cardiology. Due to the increase a life expectancy of the population, the prevalence of cardiac arrhythmias and prescribing of amiodarone are increasing. Thyrotoxicosis aggravates the existing cardiovascular disease in patients, leads to the progression of left ventricular dysfunction, relapses of arrhythmias, increasing the risk of adverse outcomes. The tactic of further management of patients is complicated: it is necessary to resolve the issue of canceling or continuing the use of antiarrhythmic drugs necessary for a patient with a history of cardiac arrhythmia, as well as competent therapy of the thyroid pathology that has arisen. Oral glucocorticoids are the first-line drugs for the treatment of patients with moderate and severe type 2  amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis. Despite the appearance of clinical recommendations, opinions on the management of patients are differ, both among cardiologists and among endocrinologists. Often thyrostatics are prescribed to patients simultaneously with glucocorticoids, although it doesn't have pathogenetic basis.

AIM

To evaluate the efficacy of various therapy options in patients with type 2 amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The retrospective study included 38 patients (20 men and 18 women aged 35 to 85 years) with type 2 amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis. All patients underwent an analysis of anamnestic, anthropometric data, complex laboratory and instrumental diagnostics. According to the treatment options, 3 groups were retrospectively formed: without therapy (n=19), taking glucocorticoids (n=11) and combination of glucocorticoids and thyrostatics (n=8). The follow-up period was 6-18 months, including the treatment. The efficacy of treatment in the groups was evaluated by the time of reaching euthyroidism on the background of glucocorticoid therapy and duration of thyrotoxicosis; the search was conducted for potential predictors of delayed response to glucocorticoid therapy and long-term course of thyrotoxicosis.

RESULTS

The average age was 62.0 [52.9; 66.3] years. The level of free thyroxine was significantly decreased after 1 month from the start of therapy in both groups: from 38.1 [32.1; 58.4] to 23.4 [19.6; 29.3] pmol/l (p<0.001) in the group taking glucocorticoids; from 73.9 [42.2; 75.6] to 39.3 [22.4; 47.2] pmol/l (p<0.001) in the combination therapy group. The time of reaching euthyroidism was longer in the combination therapy group (p=0.047), didn't depend on the dose (p=0.338) and duration of taking thiamazole (p=0.911), the delayed response to therapy correlated with age (p=-0.857; p=0.007) and time interval from the appearance of clinical symptoms of thyrotoxicosis to the start of glucocorticoid therapy (p=0.881; p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

The results demonstrate the dependence of glucocorticoid response on the age of the patient and start time of therapy relative to the duration of thyrotoxicosis, inexpediency of additional prescribing thyrostatics in type 2 amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis.

Therapeutic Plasma Exchange for the Treatment of Hyperthyroidism: Approach to the Patient with Thyrotoxicosis or Antithyroid-Drugs Induced Agranulocytosis

Primary hyperthyroidism is an endocrine disorder characterized by excessive thyroid hormone synthesis and secretion by the thyroid gland. Clinical manifestations of hyperthyroidism can vary from subclinical to overt forms. In rare cases, hyperthyroidism may represent a clinical emergency, requiring admission to an intensive care unit due to an acute and severe exacerbation of thyrotoxicosis, known as a thyroid storm. First-line treatment of hyperthyroidism is almost always based on medical therapy (with thioamides, beta-adrenergic blocking agents, glucocorticoids), radioactive iodine or total thyroidectomy, tailored to the patient’s diagnosis. In cases of failure/intolerance/adverse events or contraindication to these therapies, as well as in life-threatening situations, including a thyroid storm, it is necessary to consider an alternative treatment with extracorporeal systems, such as therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE). This approach can promptly resolve severe conditions by removing circulating thyroid hormones. Here we described two different applications of TPE in clinical practice: the first case is an example of thyrotoxicosis due to amiodarone treatment, while the second one is an example of a severe adverse event to antithyroid drugs (agranulocytosis induced by methimazole).

The management and metabolic characterization: hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism

Hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism are common diseases resulting from thyroid dysfunction, and are simple to diagnose and treat. The traditional treatment for hypothyroidism is thyroid hormone replacement therapy. The traditional treatments for hyperthyroidism include antithyroid drug, iodine radiotherapy, and surgery. Thyroid disease can be fatal in severe cases if untreated. Current statistical reference ranges used for diagnosis based on relevant biochemical parameters have been debated, and insufficient treatment can result in long-term thyroid hormone deficiency, which is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and persistent symptoms. In contrast, overtreatment can result in heart disease and osteoporosis, particularly in older people and pregnant women. Therefore, under- or over-treatment should be avoided and treatment regimens should be monitored closely. A significant proportion of patients who achieve biochemical treatment goals still complain of significant symptoms. Systematic literature review was performed through the Embase (Elsevier), PubMed and Web of Science databases, and studies summarized evidence regarding treatment and management of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, and reviewed clinical practice guidelines. We also reviewed the latest research on the metabolic mechanisms of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, which contributed to understanding of thyroid diseases in the clinic. A reliable algorithm is needed to management, assessment, and treatment patients with hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, which can not only improve management efficiency, but also providing a broad application. In addition, the thyroid disorder showed a lipid metabolism tissue specificity in the Ventromedial Hypothalamus, and effect oxidative stress and energy metabolism of whole body. This review summarizes an algorithm for thyroid disease and the latest pathogenesis that would be useful to generalist and subspecialty physicians and others providing care for patients with this condition.

Protective Role of Amiodarone on Reperfusion Arrhythmia in Patients of Acute Myocardial Infarction with Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Treatment

With the development and popularity of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) has attracted more and more clinical attention. Reperfusion arrhythmia (RA), one of the common manifestations during and after PCI, can affect the postoperative cardiac function of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Therefore, effective intervention on RA has important clinical significance. This study observed the effect of amiodarone on reperfusion arrhythmia (RA) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and explored its possible mechanism. The results showed that amiodarone had good clinical efficacy in the prevention of RA in patients with AMI after PCI, and it could reduce the levels of serum IL-6, hs-CRP, CK-MB, and cTnI in patients and reduce the damage caused by reperfusion, thereby reducing the occurrence of RA.