CONTEXT: Patients previously treated with desiccated thyroid extract (DTE), when being switched to levothyroxine (L-Tâ‚„), occasionally did not feel as well despite adequate dosing based on serum TSH levels.
OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to investigate the effectiveness of DTE compared with L-Tâ‚„ in hypothyroid patients.
DESIGN AND SETTING: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, crossover study at a tertiary care center.
PATIENTS: Patients (n = 70, age 18-65 years) diagnosed with primary hypothyroidism on a stable dose of L-Tâ‚„ for 6 months were included in the study.
INTERVENTION: Patients were randomized to either DTE or L-Tâ‚„ for 16 weeks and then crossed over for the same duration.
OUTCOME MEASURES: Biochemical and neurocognitive tests at baseline and at the end of each treatment period were evaluated.
RESULTS: There were no differences in symptoms and neurocognitive measurements between the 2 therapies. Patients lost 3 lb on DTE treatment (172.9± 36.4 lb vs 175.7 ± 37.7 lb, P
CONCLUSION: DTE therapy did not result in a significant improvement in quality of life; however, DTE caused modest weight loss and nearly half (48.6%) of the study patients expressed preference for DTE over L-Tâ‚„. DTE therapy may be relevant for some hypothyroid patients.
Republished from: Green Med Info