T4 but not T3 administration is associated with increased recurrence of Graves' disease after successful medical therapy.

TSH has been incriminated in Graves' disease for increasing the production of antibodies against TSH receptor (TRAb). It has been, therefore, suggested that T4 administration after successful antithyroid drug (ATD) treatment may indirectly decrease the production of TRAb and, therefore, the frequency of recurrence of hyperthyroidism. To study the role of T4 and T3 on the recurrence rate of Graves' disease 108 patients with Graves' disease (22 males, age: 49.

The predominant form of non-toxic goiter in Greece is now autoimmune thyroiditis.

Endemic non-toxic goiter (NTG) in Greece has been attributed primarily to iodine deficiency. Thirty years ago about 60% of the prepubertal boys and girls examined in endemic goiter regions presented with NTG and among them thyroid autoimmunity was rarely detected. Although iodine supplementation has corrected this deficiency during the past 30 years, new cases of NTG still appear.

Flow-mediated, endothelium-dependent vasodilation is impaired in subjects with hypothyroidism, borderline hypothyroidism, and high-normal serum thyrotropin (TSH) values.

Patients with hypothyroidism are considered to have an increased risk of developing atherosclerosis; because endothelial dysfunction is an early sign of atherosclerosis, we investigated whether endothelial dysfunction is present in patients with hypothyroidism. Thirty-five subjects with various TSH levels were investigated by high-resolution ultrasound imaging of the brachial artery to assess endothelial and smooth muscle responses. Flow-mediated, endothelium-dependent vasodilatation was significantly higher in subjects with TSH 0.

Clinical, laboratory and immunologic effects of the treatment of endemic goiter with T4, T3 and KI.

We treated 204 patients with endemic nontoxic goiter with T4, T3 and KI, singly or in combination. Definitely nodular goiters were excluded, since the possibility of autonomy would be increased. Goiter size was evaluated before and 6 months after treatment clinically in a blind way, i.

The relation of serum T4 and TSH with the urinary iodine excretion.

The urinary iodine excretion, expressed as the iodine/creatinine (I/Cr) ratio, was correlated with the serum T4 and TSH levels in persons with a relatively constant iodine intake for at least 6 months. It was found that the group with an I/Cr ratio of 151-200 micrograms/g had on average the lowest serum TSH and the highest serum T4 level. The differences in serum TSH from the other groups were statistically significant, whereas the differences in serum T4 were not.