thyroid Flashcards
what does t4 and t3 stand for?
T4: Thyroxine or Tetra-iodothyronine
T3: Tri-iodothyronine
tell me about thyroid perioxidase (TPO)
Used for initial synthesis of TH
- Found within thyroid gland
- Faciliate iodination of tyrosine residues on thyroglobulin
- coupling of MIT and DIT to form TH
tell me about deiodinases
Used to regulate levels of T3 to maintain tissue-specific TH balance
- Found in various tissues (liver, kidneys, skeletal muscle, brain, other peripheral tissues)
- Conversion of TH and inactivation of TH for body’s specific needs
what is Hyperthyroidism (thyroid disorder)?
Too much thyroid hormone (T3, T4)
Symptoms: Hot, energetic, elevated heart rate, sweaty, diarrhoea, cant sleep well, tremors, moody, affect menstrual cycle
what is Hypothyroidism (thyroid disorder)?
Too little TH
Symptoms: Cold, low energy, think slow, heart rate slow, low bp, obesity, depressed, move slowly, fatigue
what is the meds for hyperthyroidism?
Carbimazole
what is the meds for hypothyroidism?
Levothyroxine (L-Thyroxine)
how does carbimazole help with hyperthyroidism?
Inhibits thyroid peroxidase which is crucial in the synthesis of TH
how does carbimazole work to treat hyperthyroidism?
- Inhibit TH synthesis by inhibiting thyroid peroxidase which normally iodinates tyrosyl residues in thyroglobulin to give precursor of T3 and T4 —> Reduce overall TH production —> Reduce symptoms of thyrotoxicosis (aka excess of TH)
- T3 formed by MIT and DIT
- T4 formed by DIT and DIT
what is carbimazole used for?
- Hyperthyroidism, to control disease before surgery
- Surgical removal last resort as irreversible, and may accidentally cut away parathyroid gland
how is the absorption like for carbimazole?
- Oral once daily, well absorbed
- Prodrug carbimazole converted into active metabolite aka methimazole in liver
how is the distribution like for carbimazole?
- Methimazole t1/2 = 4-6h
- Short half life but concentrate in thyroid gland (carbimazole also) so clinical effects can last a day
- Not highly bound to plasma proteins so more drug available for action
- Large (>90%) inhibition of thyroid organification of iodine within 12h after admin (rapid onset)
how is the metabolism and excretion like for carbimazole?
- Broken down in liver by CYP450 and FMO enzymes
- Well absorbed where >90% of orally admin carbimazole is excreted in urine as methimazole or further conjugated compounds, rest in faeces via enterohepatic circulation
- 7% of methimazole excreted unchanged in urine
what is the adr for carbimazole when treating for hyperthyroidism?
- Rashes
- Joint pains
- Nausea
- Jaundice
- Agranulocytosis (rare): Severe decrease in WBC
- Hypothyroidism due to over treatment
- So need to monitor thyroid size and serum TSH level, once size is reduced and normal TSH level is achieved, titrate (reduce) carbimazole dose
how long to see clinical response upon initiation of carbamizole for hyperthyroidism? why?
- Clinical response may take several weeks (3-6weeks) to see effect after initiation
- Carbimazole inhibits synthesis of NEW TH, not existing TH —> So need to wait for existing TH to get degraded and T4 has a long half life…
- Good counselling point
what does levothyroxine (L-thyroxine) do?
treats hypothyroidism. it is a Synthetic TH to restore body to normal T4 levels
what are the types of hypothyroidism?
- Primary Hypothyroidism
- Reduction in T3 and T4 synthesis in thyroid gland
- Secondary Hypothyroidism
- Reduction in TSH by pituitary gland
- Tertiary Hypothyroidism
- Reduction in thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) by hypothalamus
how does levothyroxine work when treating hypothyroidism?
Absorbed into bloodstream —> Transported to various tissues to be converted into T3 via removal of one iodine atom by deiodinases —> T3 bind to thyroxine/ thyroid hormone receptor (THR) in nucleus which heterodimerise with retinoid X receptor (RXR) to create a heterodimer important for gene regulation —> Complex binds to specific DNA sequences in cell —> mRNA transcription and translation for protein synthesis (for TH functional effects and maintenance of cell viability)
what is the absorption like for levothyroidism when treating for hypothyroidism?
- Oral, take on empty stomach with water 30min before meal as dietary fiber can cause erratic absorption of L-thyroxine
- Fast to increase absorption
- Good bioavailability 70-80%
- Onset 3-5 days, so if want faster do via IV (6-8h onset)
- Mainly absorbed in small intestine so drugs that affect gastric pH (like antacids, PPIs) may affect absorption of Levothyroxine in small intestine
what is the distribution like for levothyroidism when treating for hypothyroidism?
- t1/2: 7 days, so once a day dosing
- Highly plasma protein bound
what is the metabolism like for levothyroidism when treating for hypothyroidism?
- 80% T3 is from T4
- Liver is a major site for degradation of TH through phase 2 glucuronidation and sulphation
- Kidney to a smaller extent through deiodination of T4 to T3 (remove one iodine atom)
what is the excretion like for levothyroidism when treating for hypothyroidism?
- Kidney primary excrete TH
- Metabolites excreted in urine and faeces
what are the adr for levothyroxine when treating hypothyroidism?
- Reduced appetite
- Anxiety
- Diarrhoea
- Difficulty sleeping
- Hair loss
- Rare and serious: Heart issues (arrhythmias, high BP, pain), Seizures —> So avoid in patients with heart problem, epilepsy and hyperthyroidism (obv)
what is a life threatening case to take note of for hypothyroidism?
Myxoedema coma
- Severe form of hypothyroidism
- Reduced blood flow to GI —> Affects gut absorption of oral levothyroxine —> Insufficient TH still
- Treatment: IV Liothyronine (synthetic T3) or IV levothyroxine