What do people think about this? euythyroid sic... - Thyroid UK

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What do people think about this? euythyroid sick syndrome

MElol•

4 years ago•4 Replies

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How can it be? WHat are the symptoms of euthyroid sick syndrome? What causes it?

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diogenesRemembering4 years ago

Causes? Diseases of liver, kidney, heart, brain etc. Trauma such as gunshot wounds, poisoning, injury due to severe fall, dementia, cancer and others. Result: low FT3 (a "hibernation" syndrome aimed at protecting the body from undue strain) low normal FT4 becoming below normal in the last stages, TSH normal, low or moderately high. Lower the FT3 the less likely is the patient to recover. And if FT4 goes low also, in the vernacular, it's curtains. The whole thyroid function is reduced to counteract the trauma.

AmandaK4 years ago

The paper assumes that the patient is euthyroid due to the TSH being in range. And we know what that means. So do some of the patients actually have undiagnosed hypothyroidism and could therefore benefit from hormones?

Also, not treating those with low T3 in such clinical conditions as described seems strange. Why wouldn't they be treated with such?

The conclusion seems to be that there would be no clinical improvement.

tattybogle in reply to AmandaK4 years ago

The change in levels of thyroid hormones under these circumstances is a self protective response by the body, the levels return to normal by themselves,on recovery . The body has slowed itself down on purpose at the peak of illness/ injury . It then raises levels immediately after the peak to aid recovery . If you added exogenous hormones in this situation you would mess up this system.

If you go to #6 (b) half way down this article you will find a graph which illustrates how it works.

thyroidpatients.ca/2020/05/...

tattybogle4 years ago

There are no symptoms , its not that sort of a 'syndrome'.

It is referring to a temporary affect on thyroid hormone /tsh levels which is the body's protective response to whatever the actual acute illness / injury is . They return to normal (for that patient) during recovery ......... unless the patient dies.

So thyroid function tests for hypo/ hyperthyroidism in A&E or acute illness/injury are not reliable . They would need to be rechecked after recovery.

You will see this referred to as NTI (non thyroidal illness) in discussions about thyroid blood tests.

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