Dexamethasone treatment of amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis (AIT) with or without persistent administration of the drug.
Treatment of amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis (AIT) with thionamide, lithium or radioactive iodine is ineffective. This particular form of hyperthyroidism is long-lasting because of the slow elimination of amiodarone. Therefore, an alternative therapy is necessary, especially for patients who need to continue permanent administration of the drug. We report 2 cases of AIT: in one case, amiodarone was interrupted; in the other case, amiodarone was continued because of recurrent ventricular tachycardia resistant to classical antiarrhythmic drugs. Both patients were successfully treated with propylthiouracil (PTU) and dexamethasone (DXT).
Department of Internal Medicine, Saint Pierre University Hospital, Free University of Brussels, Belgium.
M
M
Bonnyns
I
I
Sterling
M
M
Renard
R
R
Bernard
B
B
Demaret
P
P
Bourdoux
D000638:Amiodarone / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011441:Propylthiouracil / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000188:drug therapy; D013971:Thyrotoxicosis / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000188:drug therapy
D011441:Propylthiouracil; D003907:Dexamethasone; D000638:Amiodarone