The Circulation Rate in Relation to Metabolism in Thyroid and Pituitary States (Decholin Method) 1

Abstract

The relationship between metabolism and the velocity of blood flow in thyroid disease has been studied by numerous investigators (1,2,3,4,5,6,7), all of whom have demonstrated that the velocity of blood flow is increased in hyperthyroidism and decreased in myxedema. In addition, the circulation time or the velocity of blood flow was found to be increased in anemia and decreased in congestive heart failure, while in hypertension, no variation from the normal circulation rate was found.One purpose of this study was to determine if there existed a change in circulation rate in conditions in which the metabolic rate was abnormal, but in which there appeared no evidence of abnormal thyroid function. It is well known that in acromegaly (hyperpituitarism) associated with chromophile pituitary adenomas and hypopituitarism associated with chromophobe tumors the metabolic rate is definitely influenced; in the former it is increased and in the latter decreased. This is now generally considered to be due to secondary changes in thyroid activity from hyperplasia or hypoplasia as the result of increased or decreased effect of the pituitary thyrotropic hormone. The clinical manifestations of myxedema are usually lacking in hypopituitary cases with low metabolism as well as in many instances of hypometabolism of unknown cause. It was our prediction, therefore, that in these cases normal values for circulation time would be found. METHODWinternitz, Deutsch and Brull (5) first used decholin intravenously in studying circulation time, and since then additional observations with the use of this method by Gargill (6) and also

A Correlation of Clinical and Hemodynamic Studies in Patients With Hypothyroidism1

“…Physiologic studies in patients with hypothyroidsm have established that the cardiac output is low and that the circulation time is often moderately prolonged. In the majority of patients studied the reduction in cardiac output has been found to be proportional to the decreased oxygen consumption with the arteriovenous difference normal; other investigators have noted a somewhat greater reduction in cardiac output than in oxygen consumption with a somewhat increased arteriovenous difference (17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29). Pressures within the heart and the pulmonary and systemic 1 Nebraska. circulations have been found to be within normal limits (22,26).…”