Evaluation of Effect of Antitubercular Drugs on Thyroid Profile in Euthyroid Individuals

ABSTRACT

Background: India is the highest TB burden country in the world and Tuberculosis being a systemic disease, it has capacity forwide spread dissemination. Some studies done in the past provided variable evidences suggesting Thyroid dysfunction can occurfollowing antitubercular therapy, hence we have taken up this study. Methods: 50 freshly detected pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis cases were included in this study. Plasma levels of T3, T4 and TSH was measured before initiating Antituberculosis treatment (ATT) and repeated at the end of 6 months. Results: Post treatment 2(4%) subjects had change in T3 levelabove the normal reference range, no changes observed in T4 levels after the treatment. Post treatment 1(2%) subject had TSH of<0.3 Μiu/ml indicating transition in to the hyperthyroid range, majority i.e. 32(64%) subjects had TSH level within normalreference range, whereas 17(34%) subjects had TSH level above the normal reference range falling into Subclinical Hypothyroidrange. Conclusion: The common Thyroid Dysfunction seen during the study period was Hypothyroidism. Anti-tubercularmedication preferably Rifampicin probably would explain the cause for these thyroid dysfunctions noticed during the study time.