Thyroxine

Older adults with subclinical hypothyroidism assigned 1 year of levothyroxine therapy experienced no adverse changes in any bone parameters compared with similar adults assigned placebo, according to findings published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Endocrine Today has compiled a list of the top five news reports posted from the American Thyroid Association Annual Meeting, held from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3 in Chicago.

CHICAGO—Compounded oral liquid levothyroxine products vary in stability, potency and consistency and present risks for patients, according to data presented the American Thyroid Association annual meeting.

CHICAGO — Levothyroxine is prescribed to more than 80% of patients despite a lack of supporting evidence from thyroid function laboratory assessments, according to findings presented at the annual meeting of the American Thyroid Association.

Older adults with subclinical hypothyroidism treated with levothyroxine did not experience an improvement in symptoms or quality of life measures compared with similar adults assigned placebo, , according to findings published in JAMA.

Japanese euthyroid adults who report smoking have a lower thyroid-stimulating hormone level compared with nonsmokers independent of age, sex, race and iodine status, according to findings published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

We should not automatically accept that controversy in one area should serve as a rationale for doing nothing in another.

Subclinical hypothyroidism is a common diagnosis, present in approximately 3% to 4% of reproductive-age women. Although a mild form of hypothyroidism — defined as elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone with normal free thyroxine levels — the condition has been associated with infertility, increased risk for adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes, and possibly with increased risk for neurocognitive deficits in offspring.

An estimated 40% to 50% of childhood cancer survivors will experience an endocrine disorder in their lifetime. The risk varies according to cancer treatment and can persist for decades after diagnosis.

Obesity was shown to be more likely to develop in a cohort of adults with hyperthyroidism who received treatment for the condition vs. a background population, with radioiodine therapy applications playing a large role in this trend, according to findings published in Thyroid.