High Incidence of Decreased Serum Triiodothyronine Concentration in Patients with Nonthyroidal Disease

Abstract

Serum thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) concentration and binding were measured in 34 clinically euthyroid patients hospitalized for a wide variety of nonthyroidal diseases. Despite clinical euthyroidism, serum T3 was in the hypothyroid range (less than 90 ng/100 ml) in 24 of the 34 patients, and the mean serum T3 of this group, 78.4 +/- 38.3 (SD), was significantly decreased from that of control, 134.0 +/- 29.3 ng/200 ml. Mean serum T4 levels were essentially the same in both groups, 7.3 +/- 2.0 for sick patients and 7.2 +/- 1.0 mug/100 ml for the controls. Plasma binding of both T4 and T3 was decreased in the patient group to 69.9 and 78% of control values, respectively. In accord with previous studies, the mean free T4 index, proportional to free T4 concentration, was significantly increased to 10.0 +/- 4.1 in the patient group (control, 7.6 +/- 1.3). However, the mean free T3 index of the patient group, 92.9 +/- 38.4 remained decreased from that of control, 138.9 +/- 34.4. Of the 24 patients with decreased serum T3 (less than 90 ng/100 ml), low T3 levels could be attributed to decreased plasma binding in 8; in 5, serum T3 was within the normal range for their advanced age. Mean TSH was greater in the patient group 2.6 +/- 1.9, than in the controls, 1.9 +/- 1.1 muU/ml. Moreover, the TSH response to administered TRH was moderately exaggerated in 7 patients with low free T3 index compared to 7 patients with normal free T3 index. Although significant statistically, neither the basal nor TRH induced TSH levels were in the range generally found in primary hypothyroidism. The data suggest that the high incidence of low serum T3 (70%) and free T3 index (32%) in nonthyroidal disease may be related to the catabolic state that accompanies illness rather than to specific disease entities. At the present time, the use of serum T3 or free T3 measurements for the diagnosis of hypothyroidism does not appear justified in patients with nonthyroidal disease.

Free thyroxine estimation for the screening of hyper- and hypothyroidism in an adult population.

“…In the present study, free T4 values were not changed with age between 40-69 years in agreement with similar data examining the FT4 index (Bernudez et al 1975 ;Gregerman and Davis 1978). Meanwhile, Malvaux et al (1966) reported that FT4 was decreased in adolescents as compared to adults.…”

The Role of Sulfhydryl Groups on the Impaired Hepatic 3′,3,5-Triiodothyronine Generation from Thyroxine in the Hypothyroid, Starved, Fetal, and Neonatal Rodent

“…The noncalorigenic product of T4 monodeiodination 3,3'-5'-triiodothyronine (reverse T3, rT3), is generated from inner ring deiodination. A decrease in the serum concentration of T3 (6)(7)(8)(9)(10) and the production of T3 from T4 (11)(12)(13) have been demonstrated in man under a variety of circumstances. An increase in serum rT3 concentration almost always occurs in these states (9,10,14,15), probably due to a decrease in rT3 clearance rather than enhanced rT3 production (11,16,17).…”

Observations on the factors that control the generation of triiodothyronine from thyroxine in rat liver and the nature of the defect induced by fasting.

“…These include fasting or partial caloric deprivation (8)(9)(10)(11)(12); diabetes (13)(14)(15); surgical stress (16,17); moderate or severe chronic illness (18)(19)(20); cirrhosis (21,22); and a number of drugs, including Abbreviationis used in this paper: I-, iodide; T3, 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine; T4, thyroxine; T3-neogenesis, generation of T3 from T4.…”