Time for a reassessment of the treatment of hypothyroidism.

BACKGROUND: In the treatment for hypothyroidism, a historically symptom-orientated approach has given way to reliance on a single biochemical parameter, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). MAIN BODY: The historical developments and motivation leading to that decision and its potential implications are explored from pathophysiological, clinical and statistical viewpoints. An increasing frequency of hypothyroid-like complaints is noted in patients in the wake of this directional shift, together with relaxation of treatment targets. Recent prospective and retrospective studies suggested a changing pattern in patient complaints associated with recent guideline-led low-dose policies. A resulting dramatic rise has ensued in patients, expressing in various ways dissatisfaction with the standard treatment. Contributing factors may include raised problem awareness, overlap of thyroid-related complaints with numerous non-specific symptoms, and apparent deficiencies in the diagnostic process itself. Assuming that maintaining TSH anywhere within its broad reference limits may achieve a satisfactory outcome is challenged. The interrelationship between TSH, free thyroxine (FT4) and free triiodothyronine (FT3) is patient specific and highly individual. Population-based statistical analysis is therefore subject to amalgamation problems (Simpson's paradox, collider stratification bias). This invalidates group-averaged and range-bound approaches, rather demanding a subject-related statistical approach. Randomised clinical trial (RCT) outcomes may be equally distorted by intra-class clustering. Analytical distinction between an averaged versus typical outcome becomes clinically relevant, because doctors and patients are more interested in the latter. It follows that population-based diagnostic cut-offs for TSH may not be an appropriate treatment target. Studies relating TSH and thyroid hormone concentrations to adverse effects such as osteoporosis and atrial fibrillation invite similar caveats, as measuring TSH within the euthyroid range cannot substitute for FT4 and FT3 concentrations in the risk assessment. Direct markers of thyroid tissue effects and thyroid-specific quality of life instruments are required, but need methodological improvement. CONCLUSION: It appears that we are witnessing a consequential historic shift in the treatment of thyroid disease, driven by over-reliance on a single laboratory parameter TSH. The focus on biochemistry rather than patient symptom relief should be re-assessed. A joint consideration together with a more personalized approach may be required to address the recent surge in patient complaint rates.

Discordance in thyroglobulin measurements by radioimmunoassay and immunometric assay: a useful means of identifying thyroglobulin assay interference.

BACKGROUND: Serum thyroglobulin (Tg) is useful for monitoring patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) but is limited by interference from anti-Tg antibodies (TgAb). We determined Tg assay discordance between a radioimmunoassay (RIA) and one of two immunometric assays (IMA) in DTC patients over a 9-year period to gauge assay performance against evidence of recurrent/progressive DTC. METHODS: Patients with DTC monitored for >1 year attending local clinics between September 2000 and January 2010 were included. All samples were analysed for Tg using both RIA and IMA. TgAb were measured on all Tg requests made after May 2006. Bias plots comparing RIA against IMA were established to calculate a 2-SD outlier limit. Clinical records were viewed to compare discordant Tg results against clinical evidence of recurrent/progressive DTC. RESULTS: Discordant Tg results were observed in 53/433 patients (12.2%). Four were discordant owing to a higher IMA result, one of which demonstrated recurrence. The remaining 49 patients demonstrated a disproportionately higher RIA result, of which four had recurrent/persistent disease. Twelve patients with a higher RIA result but no evidence of recurrence underwent thyrogen stimulation testing, which was negative in all 12. In many cases, assay discordance appeared more sensitive at indicating interference than direct measurement of TgAb. CONCLUSIONS: Interference was evident with both Tg assays, such that neither could be solely relied upon to provide the correct result in the presence of TgAb. The concomitant measurement of Tg by RIA and IMA methods should be considered as an alternative to monitoring TgAb status.

Clinical performance of the Roche cobas e411 automated assay system for thyrotropin-receptor antibodies for the diagnosis of Graves' disease.

BACKGROUND: The clinical performance of the Roche cobas e411 automated assay for the measurement of thyrotropin (TSH)-receptor antibodies (TRAbs) for the diagnosis of Graves' disease was evaluated in the setting of new referrals to a specialized thyroid clinic. METHODS: The final diagnosis of 102 new patients attending their first outpatient appointment at a thyroid clinic was correlated with the TRAbs result. In all cases, the diagnosis was made independently of the TRAbs result by the same consultant (ADT) based on clinical examination, thyroid function tests (TSH, free thyroxine, total triiodothyronine measured on Architect; Abbot Diagnostics), and a technetium-99m uptake and scan. TRAbs were measured using the cobas e411 (Roche Diagnostics). The clinical sensitivity and specificity of the assay were determined and compared with other published performance characteristics of the assay. RESULTS: Optimal sensitivity (95%) and specificity (98%) were obtained using a cut-off of 1.6 IU/L. The positive and negative predictive values at this cut-off were calculated as 98% and 94%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Using a cut-off of 1.6 IU/L, considered independently of thyroid function tests, the Roche cobas e411 automated immunoassay for TRAbs is a convenient, sensitive and specific tool for the differential diagnosis of hyperthyroidism.

Thyroid disease and increased cardiovascular risk.

The effects of thyroid dysfunction are thought to be reversible on restoration of euthyroidism, but postmortem and epidemiologic data suggest that subclinical or treated thyroid disease is associated with increased vascular risk. In order to determine the extent of this risk, and to explore whether the nature and/or treatment of thyroid disease are critical in this relationship, we used medical record linkage to match patients with treated thyroid disease of various etiologies with routinely collected national inpatient and daycase hospital discharge records and death records, and assessed the number of hospitalizations from cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease or death in patients with thyroid disease and control patients. Patients treated for Graves' disease had more hospitalizations from cardiovascular disease than controls (relative risk, 1.42; 95% confidence interval, 1.20 to 1.67; p < 0.001). Toxic multinodular goiter was also associated with significantly higher rates of cardiovascular disease (relative risk, 1.50; 95% confidence interval, 1.11 to 2.02; p = 0.008). Patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis aged over 50 years had a threefold increase in cardiovascular admissions compared to controls (23.5% and 6.5%, respectively; 95% confidence interval for difference, 6.0% to 27.9%; p = 0.003). Thus, different forms of thyroid disease were associated with increased long-term vascular risk despite restoration of euthyroidism. The mechanisms that mediate this risk are unclear but may not involve thyroid hormone abnormality.

Follow-up of low-risk patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma: a European perspective.

OBJECTIVE: Because differentiated (follicular and papillary) thyroid cancer (DTC) may recur years after initial treatment, the follow-up of patients with DTC is long term. However, this population has changed, with more individuals being discovered at an earlier stage of the disease, so that previous follow-up protocols based mostly on data from high-risk patients no longer apply. We sought to develop an improved protocol for the follow-up of low-risk patients with DTC based on the findings of recent studies. METHODS: We analysed recent literature on the follow-up of DTC. RESULTS: Recent large studies have produced three important findings: (i) in patients with low-risk DTC with no evidence of disease up to the 6- to 12-month follow-up, diagnostic whole-body scan adds no information when serum thyroglobulin (Tg) is undetectable and interference from anti-Tg antibodies is absent; (ii) use of recombinant human thyroid-stimulating hormone to aid Tg measurement is effective and provides greater safety, quality-of-life and work productivity than does levothyroxine withdrawal with its attendant hypothyroidism; and (iii) ultrasonography performed by an experienced operator is the most sensitive means of detecting neck recurrences of DTC. CONCLUSIONS: We present a revised follow-up protocol for low-risk patients taking into account the above findings. This protocol should help clinicians enter a new era of monitoring characterized by greater safety, simplicity, convenience and cost savings.