Suboptimal Thyroid Hormone Replacement Is Associated With Worse Hospital Outcomes

Thyroid Hormone Homeostasis in Levothyroxine-treated Patients: Findings From ELSA-Brasil

CONTEXT

The effectiveness of levothyroxine (LT4) in restoring thyroid hormone (TH) homeostasis, particularly serum thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) levels, remains debatable.

OBJECTIVE

This work aimed to assess TH homeostasis in LT4-treated individuals using data from the Longitudinal Study of Adult Health in Brazil (ELSA-Brasil) study.

METHODS

The ELSA-Brasil study follows 15 105 adult Brazilians (aged 35-74 years) over 8.2 years (2008-2019) with 3 observation points assessing health parameters including serum thyrotropin (TSH), free T4 (FT4), and free T3 (FT3) levels. We analyzed 186 participants that initiated treatment with LT4 during the study, and 243 individuals continuously treated with LT4 therapy.

RESULTS

Initiation of therapy with LT4 resulted in an 11% to 19% decrease in TSH, an approximately 19% increase in FT4, and a 7% reduction in FT3 serum levels (FT3 dropped >10% in ∼40% of the LT4-treated patients). This was associated with an increase in triglyceride levels and utilization of hypolipidemic and antidiabetic medications. Participants continuously treated with LT4 exhibited a stable elevation in serum FT4 and a reduction in serum FT3 and TSH levels. While 115 participants (47.3%) had at least 1 serum FT4 levels above the control reference range (>1.52 ng/dL), 38 participants (15.6%) had at least 1 serum FT3 below the reference range (<0.23 ng/dL).

CONCLUSION

The present results challenge the dogma that treatment with LT4 for hypothyroidism restores TH homeostasis in all patients. A substantial number of LT4-treated patients exhibit repeated FT4 and FT3 levels outside the normal reference range, despite normal TSH levels. Further studies are needed to define the clinical implications of these findings.

Thyroid disorders and gastrointestinal dysmotility: an old association

Gastrointestinal motility symptoms may be closely related to thyroid diseases. Sometimes, such symptoms are the only thyroid disease-related clue although the degree of the symptoms may vary. The exact mechanism of action of thyroid hormones on gastrointestinal motility is not completely understood, however, a clue lies in the fact that muscle cell receptors can be directly acted upon by thyroxines. Both hypo- and hyperthyroidism can cause impairment of gastrointestinal motility, modifying structure and function of pharynx and esophagus, and regulating esophageal peristalsis through neuro-humoral interaction. In hyperthyroid patients, alterations of postprandial and basic electric rhythms have been observed at gastro-duodenal level, often resulting in slower gastric emptying. Gastric emptying may also be delayed in hypothyroidism, but an unrelated gastric mucosa-affecting chronic modification may also cause such pattern. Hyperthyroidism commonly show malabsorption and diarrhoea, while hypothyroidism frequently show constipation. In summary, it can be stated that symptoms of gastrointestinal motility dysfunction can be related to thyroid diseases, affecting any of the gastrointestinal segment. Clinically, the typical thyroid disease manifestations may be missing, borderline, or concealed because of intercurrent sicknesses. Motility-linked gastrointestinal problems may easily conceal a misdetected, underlying dysthyroidism that should be carefully analyzed. Here, we aim to elaborate on the associations between thyroid disorders and GI dysmotility and the common clinical manifestations associated with GI dysmotility.

Hypothyroidism as an Independent Predictor of 30-day Readmission in Head and Neck Cancer Patients

OBJECTIVES

To define the role of hypothyroidism and other risk factors for unplanned readmissions after surgery for head and neck cancer.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

METHODS

The Nationwide Readmission Database (NRD) was used to identify patients who underwent surgery for mucosal head and neck cancer (oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx, and hypopharynx) between 2010 and 2017. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were performed to determine patient, tumor, and hospital related risk factors for 30-day readmission. Readmitted patients were stratified by preoperative diagnosis of hypothyroidism to compare readmission characteristics.

RESULTS

For the 131,013 patients who met inclusion criteria, the readmission rate was 15.9%. Overall, 11.91% of patients had a preoperative diagnosis of hypothyroidism. After controlling for other variables, patients with a preoperative diagnosis of hypothyroidism had 12.2% higher odds of readmission compared to those without hypothyroidism (OR: 1.12, 1.03-1.22, p = 0.008). Patients with hypothyroidism had different reasons for readmission, including higher rates of wound dehiscence, fistula, infection, and electrolyte imbalance. Among readmitted patients, the length of stay for index admission (mean 10.5 days vs. 9.2 days, p < 0.001), readmission (mean 7.0 vs. 6.6 days, p = 0.05), and total hospital charge were higher for hypothyroid patients ($137,742 vs. $119,831, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Hypothyroidism is an independent risk factor for 30-day readmission following head and neck cancer resection. Furthermore, hypothyroid patients are more likely to be readmitted for wound complications, infection, and electrolyte imbalance. Targeted interventions should be considered for hypothyroid patients to decrease readmission rates and associated patient morbidity, potentially leading to earlier initiation of adjuvant treatment.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

3 Laryngoscope, 133:2988-2998, 2023.

Outcomes of surgical versus nonsurgical treatment for multiple rib fractures: A US hospital matched cohort database analysis

BACKGROUND

Treatment for multiple rib fractures includes surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF) or nonoperative management (NOM). Meta-analyses have demonstrated that SSRF results in faster recovery and lower long-term complication rates versus NOM. Our study evaluated postoperative outcomes for multiple rib fracture patients following SSRF versus NOM in a real-world, all-comer study design.

METHODS

Multiple rib fracture patients with inpatient admissions in the PREMIER hospital database from October 1, 2015, to September 30, 2020, were identified. Outcomes included discharge disposition, and 3- and 12-month lung-related readmissions. Demographics, comorbidities, concurrent injuries at index, Abbreviated Injury Scale and Injury Severity Scores, and provider characteristics were determined for all patients. Patients were excluded from the cohort if they had a thorax Abbreviated Injury Scale score of <2 (low severity patient) or a Glasgow Coma Scale score of ≤8 (extreme high severity patient). Stratum matching between SSRF and NOM patients was performed using fine stratification and weighting so that all patient data were kept in the final analysis. Outcomes were analyzed using generalized linear models with quasinormal distribution and logit links.

RESULTS

A total of 203,450 patients were included, of which 200,580 were treated with NOM and 2,870 with SSRF. Compared to NOM, patients with SSRF had higher rates of home discharge (62% SSRF vs. 58% NOM) and lower rates of lung-related readmissions (3 months, 3.1% SSRF vs. 4.0% NOM; 12 months, 6.2% SSRF vs. 7.6% NOM). The odds ratio (OR) for home or home health discharge in patients with SSRF versus NOM was 1.166 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.073-1.266; p = 0.0002). Similarly, ORs for lung-related readmission at 3- and 12-month were statistically lower in the patients treated with SSRF versus NOM (OR [3 months], 0.764 [95% CI, 0.606-0.963]; p = 0.0227 and OR [12 months], 0.799 [95% CI, 0.657-0.971]; p = 0.0245).

CONCLUSION

Surgical stabilization of rib fractures results in greater odds of home discharge and lower rates of lung-related readmissions compared with NOM at 12 months of follow-up.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Therapeutic/Care Management; Level III.