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CHANGES IN SERUM THYROXINE‐BINDING PROTEINS IN ENDEMIC GOITRE AND ENDEMIC CRETINISM
Author(s) -
WELLBY M. L.,
PHAROAH P. O. D.,
HETZEL B. S.
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
clinical endocrinology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1365-2265
pISSN - 0300-0664
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2265.1974.tb03295.x
Subject(s) - cretinism , endemic goitre , medicine , endocrinology , iodine deficiency , goiter , albumin , iodine , pregnancy , thyroid , biology , chemistry , organic chemistry , genetics
SUMMARY Patients with endemic goitre in an iodine deficient area in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea (TPNG) have very little clinical evidence of hypothyroidism although serum thyroxine (T 4 ) levels are usually very subnormal. The activities of T 4 ‐binding proteins in both goitrous and non‐goitrous iodine deficient TPNG subjects were therefore investigated but no overall deficiencies were found to account for the low T 4 levels. The mean serum T 4 ‐binding pre‐albumin (TBPA) level (169 μ g/100 ml as T 4 ‐binding capacity) was less than the level seen in Australian subjects (187 μ g/100 ml); however, this decrease was counteracted by the increase in T 4 ‐binding globulin (TBG) level (27±3 μ g) in iodine‐deficient TPNG compared with 19±9 μ g in Australia. Measurements of TBG and TBPA levels were also made during pregnancy in TPNG subjects, and found to increase to the same extent as in pregnancy in Australian subjects. This suggests that the pathogenesis of endemic cretinism (in TPNG) is dependent on some factor other than TBG deficiency during pregnancy.