Abstract
The decrease of thyroid hormones in critically ill patients without thyroid or pituitary disease is called low T3 and low T4 syndrome. This syndrome reflects the severity of the clinical status. We studied the metabolic effects of this syndrome in 39 patients who had been in medical and anaesthesiological intensive care units for at least 72 hours. Urea production rate and phosphate balance were shown to be independent of thyroid hormone levels. It was however possible to show a significant correlation between organic phosphates in erythrocytes (ATP and 2,3 DPG) and free and protein bound thyroid hormones (r = 0.643). Due to the special metabolism of the erythrocyte it is not always possible to conclude that substitution with thyroid hormones would improve the prognosis of these patients.
| Translated title of the contribution | Are there metabolic effects from low T3 and low T4 syndrome? |
|---|---|
| Original language | German |
| Pages (from-to) | 229-232 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Intensivmedizin |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| State | Published - 1985 |