Publications by authors named "A Weetman"

Persistent symptoms are common in the general population and even more so in people with hypothyroidism. When symptoms are unexplained and brought to medical attention, they can be referred to as medically not yet explained symptoms (MNYES), a term preferred to other descriptors by patients, care-givers and experts. MNYES might be neglected by endocrinologists or misattributed to hypothyroidism.

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Between 10% and 15% of hypothyroid patients experience persistent symptoms despite achieving biochemical euthyroidism. Unexplained persistent symptoms can be a sign of somatization. This is associated with distress and high health care resource use and can be classified as somatic symptom disorder (SSD).

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In the 1970s, treatment with thyroid extract was superseded by levothyroxine, a synthetic L form of tetraiodothyronine. Since then, no major innovation has emerged for the treatment of hypothyroidism. The biochemical definition of subclinical hypothyroidism is a matter of debate.

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A significant minority of patients with hypothyroidism report persistent symptoms despite achieving normal thyroid biochemistry after levothyroxine (L-T4) replacement. Four principal lines of thinking, which are not mutually exclusive, may explain this enigma. The 'low tissue liothyronine hypothesis' emphasizes the potential imperfections of L-T4 replacement therapy that may lead to hypothyroidism in some tissues such as the brain, while others (eg hypothalamus) are euthyroid.

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It is 70 years since Noel Rose embarked on his pioneering studies that lead to the discovery of autoimmune thyroiditis and the elucidation of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. This short review to honour his passing focuses on the developments in our understanding of the causes and pathogenesis of HT over the last five years. Recent genetic studies have reported heritability estimates for HT and associated diseases for the first time, and emphasised the complexity of the genetic factors involved, including monogenic forms of HT.

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