Update on the side effects of antithyroid drugs / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

ABSTRACT

Antithyroid drugs(ATD)is the main treatment for hyperthyroidism and its adverse reactions have been much concerned by physicians. Methimazole(MMI)and propylthiouracil(PTU)are the two common antitithyroid drugs used currently. Generally, the ATD are safe and effective, though their clinical adverse reactions are also relatively common. The toxic effects include liver damage and leukocytopenia, antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated pulmonary small-vessel vasculitis, hypoglycemia, allergic reactions, muscle impairment,and so on. They are usually reversible and disappear spontaneously when the drug is discontinued. However,the serious rare side effects can also occur and there may have potentially deadly threatening effects which need to be cautious for the clinicians. MMI is usually preferred over PTU because it has significantly fewer side effects. And unlike the dose-dependent side effects of MMI, there has no significant correlation between adverse reaction and drug dosage in using PTU. Moreover, PTU has more severe hepatotoxity than MMI, even fatal liver impairment and liver failure. The risk of liver damage from PTU is an important concern, particularly in children. For this reason, MMI is the first choice for treating children with hyperthyroidism.