Abstract

A STUDY OF THYROID PROFILE IN PATIENTS WITH LIVER DISEASE.

Dr. Lavita D’costa, Dr. Chitra Y. Dhume* and Dr. Carlos Noel Menezes

Abstract

The thyroid hormones are the only iodine-containing compounds with established physiologic significance in vertebrates.Bioactivity of thyroid hormone is determined to the large extent by the hepatic monodeiodination of prohormone T4 (Thyroxine). The best characterized activities of the liver with respect to thyroid hormone metabolism involve deiodinase reactions. Type I deiodinase is the major enzyme in the liver, and accounts for approximately 30-40% of extrathyroidal production of T3 (tri‐iodothyronine) it can carry out both 5'-and 5-deiodination of T4 to T3.Thyroxine and tri‐iodothyronine are essential for normal organ growth, development and function. These hormones regulate the basal metabolic rate of all cells, including hepatocytes, and thereby modulate hepatic function; the liver in turn metabolizes the thyroid hormones and regulates their systemic endocrine effects. Thyroid dysfunction may perturb liver function, liver disease modulates thyroid hormone metabolism, and a variety of systemic diseases affect both organs. In the present study of 140 subjects,70 subjects were patients with liver disease i.e 50 subjects were patients with alcoholic liver disease(ALD), 20 subjects were non alcoholic liver disease(NON-ALD) patients and 70 were healthy controls. This study was planned to evaluate the biochemical parameters like thyroid function tests and liver function tests on the above 140 subjects. This study demonstrated that the serum T3 (Total T3) and FT3 (Free T3) levels were decreased in patients with liver disease as compared to controls.

Keywords: Liver disease, Total T3, Free T3, type 1 deiodinase.