Liver function tests during antithyroid therapy in hyperthyroidism.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the liver function tests during antithyroid treatment in the patients with hyperthyroidism.


METHODS
Four hundred sixty five patients with hyperthyroidism (285 Graves' disease and 180 toxic nodular/multinodular goiter) and fifty healthy subjects were included in the study. The patients who had abnormal liver function tests were excluded from the study. Blood levels of thyrotropin (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) were detected at the beginning of the treatment (basal levels), and at the third and sixth months of the treatment. The patients were treated with propylthiouracil (PTU).


RESULTS
Average of age was 40.1 +/- 5.8 years in the patient group and was 37.3 +/- 4.5 years in the control group. TSH, FT4, ALT and AST levels measured in the patient and control group are shown in Table 1. Basal levels of TSH were lower in the study group than in the control group (p<0.001), and basal levels of FT4 were higher in the study group than in the control group (p<0.001). Basal levels of ALT and AST, and the levels of TSH, FT4, ALT and AST measured at the third and sixth months were similar in both groups.


CONCLUSIONS
We did not find abnormal liver function tests during the antithyroid treatment in the patients with hyperthyroidism.
Akçay
Müfide Nuran
MN
Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Atatürk, Erzurum, Turkey.
Akçay
Güngör
G
D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D013956:Antithyroid Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006801:Humans; D006980:Hyperthyroidism / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D011441:Propylthiouracil / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood
D013956:Antithyroid Agents; D011441:Propylthiouracil; D013972:Thyrotropin; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D013974:Thyroxine