Taking all the sideroads of hyperthyroidism therapy: Pitfalls and possibilities

• Published in: Medicinski glasnik Specijalne bolnice za bolesti štitaste žlezde i bolesti metabolizma Zlatibor Vol. 26; no. 80; pp. 108 - 125
• Main Authors: Miletić, Marija, Stojanović, Miloš, Nedeljković-Beleslin, Biljana, Stojković, Mirjana, Ćirić, Jasmina, Žarković, Miloš
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Specijalna bolnica za bolesti štitaste žlezde i bolesti metabolizma Zlatibor 2021
• Subjects: drug adverse effects; hyperthyreosis; plasma exchange therapy; potassium iodine; sodium perchlorate
• ISSN: 1821-1925; 2406-131X
• DOI: 10.5937/medgla2180108M

There are three basic modalities for the treatment of thyrotoxicosis: thyrosuppresive drug therapy, ablation with radioactive iodine and surgical treatment. Patients who do not achieve adequate thyrotoxicosis control, as was the case of described patient, have a high mortality rate due to the possibility of developing a thyroid storm. The use of drug therapy for hyperthyroidism, as the first line of treatment, is associated with the appearance of various side effects, as was the case in our patient. Side effects of Methimazole are dose-dependent, while in the case of Propylthiouracil, the occurrence of side effects is not clearly dose-dependent. In the case of the described patient, all alternative, lesser known modalities for the treatment of hyperthyroidism were applied, after the occurrence of adverse reactions to thyrosuppressive therapy. Sodium perchlorate, ie. Sodium with perchloric acid is rarely used in the treatment of hyperthyroidism, as in cases of severe idiosyncratic reactions to thionamides, agranulocytosis or hepatitis, if the eumetabolic state is not achieved and the application of a therapeutic dose of radioiodine is not possible. It is applied in the form of a solution, usually 8%; In more severe forms of the disease, when hyperthyroidism is very pronounced, 10 to 15 drops a day are given 4 to 6 times and the dose is sometimes reduced to the minimum maintenance dose. After the adverse reaction even to sodium perchlorate therapy we were left with one more, last option-Plasma Therapy exchange. Plasma Therapy Exchange (TPE) is an out-of-body blood purification technique designed to remove high-molecular-weight substances bound to plasma proteins (autoantibody pathogens, immunocomplexes, cryoglobulins, myeloma light chains, endotoxins, lipoprotein-containing cholesterol, and thyroid). The effectiveness of treatment depends on the volume of blood being processed, the volume of plasma exchanged in each process, the number of procedures performed, the frequency of exchange and the rate of mobilization, stabilization and re-synthesis of cells or plasma components. TPE is an effective alternative treatment that provides an opportunity to prepare patients for definitive treatment: ablative therapy such as RAI ablation or thyroidectomy. Therapeutic plasmapheresis, if performed in specialist centers, is a safe, fast and effective method.