Amiodarone-induced thyroid dysfunction in a tertiary center in south Brazil

Amiodarone, used in the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, is associated with thyroid dysfunction. No reports exist on its frequency in southern Brazil, nor studies evaluating the usefulness of clinical scores to diagnose thyroid abnormalities in these patients. This study aimed at determining the prevalence of amiodarone-induced thyroid dysfunction in a representative sample from a tertiary center, to study the conditions associated to this dysfunction and to evaluate the reliability of clinical scores of hypo and hyperthyroidism. One hundred ninety-five amiodarone users were submitted to a clinical and laboratory evaluation. Of these, 2.1 percent were hyperthyroid, 25.1 percent hypothyroid and 9.2 percent had only a high T4. Considering thyroid dysfunction variables researched, thyroid autoimmunity was positively associated (OR 4.8; p= 0.02), and male gender had a trend to a positive association (OR 1.86; p= 0.06). Clinical scores were highly sensitive for hyperthyroidism (100 percent), but not for hypothyroidism (8 percent). The low prevalence of amiodarone-induced hypothyroidism suggests that this specific region is iodine-sufficient. All patients receiving chronic amiodarone therapy should be checked for clinical scores for hyperthyroidism and laboratory evaluation should be performed, as a screening for thyroid dysfunction, especially if they are male or have positive microsomal antibodies.

Escala de sonolência de Epworth em pacientes com diferentes valores na monitorizaçäo ambulatorial de pressäo arterial / Epworth's sleepiness scale in outpatients with different values of arterial blood pressure

OBJECTIVE: To compare sleepiness scores of the Epworth scale in patients with different levels of arterial pressure when undergoing outpatient monitoring within the context of clinical evaluation. METHODS: A total of 157 patients selected for outpatient monitoring of arterial pressure during hypertension evaluation were divided into 3 groups: group 1 - normotensive; group 2 - hypertensive; group 3 - resistant hypertensive. For analysis, values > or = 11 were considered as associated with respiratory disturbances during sleep. RESULTS: Seventeen (10.8 percent) patients in group 1, 112 (71.3 percent) in group 2, and 28 (17.8 percent) in group 3, which was composed of aged, more severely hypertensive individuals, were analyzed. Groups were similar relative to sex and body mass index, but different in relation to systolic and diastolic pressure levels and age. Despite an absolute difference, no statistically significant difference occurred between Epworth scores and in the proportion of patients with values > or = 11 (5.9 percent vs. 18.8 percent vs. 212.4 percent; P=0.37). Despite the positive association between degree of sleepiness measured with the scale and the severity of the hypertension, no statistical significance occurred following control by age (p=0.18). CONCLUSION: A positive correlation exists between degree of sleepiness and hypertension severity. The absence of a statistical significance shown in the present study could be due to a beta type of error. Instruments that render this complaint into an objective finding could help in the pursuit of an investigation of respiratory disturbances during sleep in more severely hypertensive patients, and should therefore be studied better