MENA 2024 Recordings-Optimizing Thyroid Hormone Therapy

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The speaker discusses the clinical treatment of hypothyroidism, a common condition, especially in women, often caused by autoimmune thyroid disease, known as Hashimoto's. The standard treatment is levothyroxine, a T4 hormone. However, about 10% of patients remain dissatisfied despite normalized TSH levels, often due to persistent symptoms like brain fog, fatigue, and mood issues. The speaker highlights that fine-tuning T4 dosages may not alleviate symptoms for all. There is growing interest in using combination therapy of T4 and T3, especially when patients report dissatisfaction. Although multiple studies show no significant objective benefits of combination therapy over T4 alone, some patients prefer it subjectively. The speaker emphasizes the importance of evaluating comorbidities and engaging in patient discussions before considering adding T3 to treatment, while avoiding it in specific populations like the elderly and pregnant women.

Asset Subtitle

Dr. Hossein Gharib

Keywords

hypothyroidism

levothyroxine

combination therapy

Hashimoto's

T4 and T3

patient dissatisfaction