DECOMPENSATED CIRRHOSIS

THYROID HORMONE LEVELS IN PATIENTS

Abstract

Objective: The objective of the study is to find out, the levels of thyroid hormones
in serum of the patients having decompensate cirrhosis and to determine the frequency of signs
and symptoms of thyroid dysfunctions in such patients. Study design: Prospective descriptive
study. Setting: All medical wards of Civil Hospital and Ojha campus, Dow University of Health
Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan. Period: May 2013 to January 2015. Methodology: 76 patients
having decompensated liver cirrhosis with various presentations, which were fulfilling the
inclusion and exclusion criteria and were admitted in medical wards during the study period,
were included in this study. Detailed history and examination of each case was performed.
Thyroid hormone levels were performed along with other relative laboratory investigations and
the results were obtained. Results: Out of 76 patients 58 patients had low serum T3 levels,
whereas 18 had normal T3 levels. 65 patients had normal T4 levels and 11 had low serum T4
levels. The TSH levels were found normal in 74 patients and two patients had raised TSH levels.
Conclusion: It is concluded that T3 levels is low in cirrhotic patients but at the same time T4 and
TSH levels remains normal in majority of cases and the patients remain euthyroid. As far as the
clinical scenario is concern, no significance was found in the frequency of sign and symptoms
of thyroid dysfunction. Most of the patients did not show signs and symptoms of hyper and
hypothyroids.