Can anyone give me some stats on the percentage of patients in the UK needing combined therapy T4/T3? That is, percentage of poor converters? Percentage of faulty genes Di01 and DI02?
Am writing a follow-up article to the one published for Central Bylines
centralbylines.co.uk/big-ph...
Thanks!
It's a difficult question because the percentage needing T3 is much more than it might appear. The study into DIO2 polymorphisms showed about 16% (with the polymorphism from both parents) demonstrated a need for T3. However, there are many other groups of patients who have a greater need for T3. Those with a subnormal TSH will not convert nearly as welll as they should. Also, any form of resistance to thyroid hormone will need high dose T3. These latter two forms are never recognised and so don't get counted.
I would also argue that levothyroxine monotherapy leads to unacceptable cancer risks and so all patients should receive some T3 so that their fT4 can be brought down to safer levels.
what's a safe ft4 level? I've never heard of cancer risk of levo monotherapy.
I posted about it here healthunlocked.com/thyroidu... . It's not so much a safe cut off level but there tends to be higher overall risk as T4 levels increase. This does not apply to all cancers but the overall risk. You win some and lose some but the evidence suggests that higher fT4 is associated with higher risk of a cancer being more aggressive.
I doubt you'd find a realistic figure because many people self medicate and are therefore " under the radar".
Many may be undiagnosed as poor convertors... so no stats there.
Some medics are reluctant to agree about poor conversion....again, no stats
I have the Dio2 variant/ homozygous and after self medicated T4/ T3 therapy I'm now high dose T3-only because I have a form of thyroid hormone resistance....there will be no official stats of this....
I'm not alone in the above.
Little about thyroid disease is clearly defined because it involves multiple variables and unravelling them may be like trying to untangle a a roll of barbed wire!
Many thanks for these replies - I suspected as much! Extensive searching shows that even in medical journals no stats are found.
No, sorry, but you may find this article in Pulse Magazine 15th Sept. 2017 very interesting. ‘A Ban on Liothyronine will be Devastating - I Should Know by Dr Renée Hoenderkamp
Am I a poor converter. Latest blood results.
Am I a poor T4 to T3 converter?
Not converting..
Converting NDT and T3 to combo
How much T3 converts from taking T4?
