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Reversible hypertriiodothyroninaemia due to adrenal insufficiency
Author(s) -
COMTOIS R.,
HÉBERT J.,
SOUCY J.P.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of internal medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.625
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1365-2796
pISSN - 0954-6820
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2796.1991.tb00409.x
Subject(s) - medicine , adrenal insufficiency , triiodothyronine , endocrinology , thyroid , hormone , adrenal disorder , diabetes mellitus , insulin resistance , glucose homeostasis
. It is well known that an excess of glucocorticoids affects thyroid tests. The effect of adrenal deficiency on thyroid hormones is less well defined. We here describe the case of a 33‐year‐old woman with Cushing's disease who was cured by trans‐sphenoidal surgery. During the postoperative period, a secondary adrenal insufficiency developed. The thyroid blood tests then revealed elevated L‐triiodothyronine (T 3 ) levels and a decrease in reverse T 3 . These findings suggest that secondary adrenal deficiency may be associated with high T 3 levels, which may be due to an increase in the peripheral conversion of thyroxine (T 4 ) to T 3 .