title: Clinical and immunological studies on patients with Graves' disease preoperatively treated with corticosteroids and iodides.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the acute effects of corticosteroid and iodide preoperative therapy in patients with Graves' disease in terms of thyroid function and immunological parameters. The above combination was prescribed for 4 patients who had experienced severe side effects from antithyroid drugs (ATD) in order to reduce the possibility of post-thyroidectomy thyroid storm. Corticosteroids were employed daily for four days, and iodides were given daily for two weeks prior to thyroidectomy. The free T3 values decreased rapidly to euthyroid levels following the administration of both drugs, although the free T4 values were still much higher than normal in 3 of the 4 patients at the time of surgery. By comparison, 3 of 8 patients treated with ATD also had thyroid hormone levels above normal. Studies of lymphocyte subsets revealed that the percentage of helper T cells was significantly less in the corticosteroid-iodide treatment group than in the control and ATD groups. It is thus possible that postoperative thyroid storm might be prevented through corticosteroid-iodide therapy by virtue of the reduction of free T3 values to within the normal range by the time of surgery. The acute suppression of helper T cells was another results of this form of therapy observed.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Surgery, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kasuga
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sugenoya
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kaneko
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Masuda
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujimori
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Iida
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D018828:Immunoglobulins, Thyroid-Stimulating; D007454:Iodides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D011300:Preoperative Care; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000473:pathology; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000276:immunology; D013965:Thyroidectomy; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood; D013997:Time Factors; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D018828:Immunoglobulins, Thyroid-Stimulating; D007454:Iodides; D014284:Triiodothyronine; D003907:Dexamethasone; D013974:Thyroxine