Ann Dermatol.  2016 Apr;28(2):199-204. 10.5021/ad.2016.28.2.199.

Effect of Levothyroxine Treatment on Clinical Symptoms in Hypothyroid Patients with Chronic Urticaria and Thyroid Autoimmunity

• Kim DH
• Sung NH
• Lee AY

• KMID: 2171377
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5021/ad.2016.28.2.199

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Thyroid autoimmunity has been increasingly reported to be associated with chronic urticaria (CU), and the possible clinical benefit of thyroid hormone or anti-thyroid drugs in some CU patients with autoimmune thyroid disease has been studied. However, the effect of thyroid hormone or anti-thyroid drugs on clinical symptoms of CU remains unclear.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated the clinical response of urticaria to the treatment of thyroid dysfunction.
METHODS
Medical records of patients with CU evaluated for thyroid autoimmunity and thyroid function were collected and reviewed.
RESULTS
Of 184 patients with CU, 43 patients (23.4%) had thyroid autoantibodies and 26 patients (14.1%) had thyroid dysfunction. While none of the five patients with Graves' disease showed any improvement of urticaria after treatment with anti-thyroid drugs, two of the 10 patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis showed improved urticaria after being treated with levothyroxine.
CONCLUSION
Although levothyroxine treatment was effective in a minority of patients with CU, there may be a causal relationship between CU and thyroid autoimmunity.

Keyword

Thyroid disease; Thyroxine; Urticaria

MeSH Terms

Autoantibodies
Autoimmunity*
Graves Disease
Humans
Medical Records
Thyroid Diseases
Thyroid Gland*
Thyroiditis
Thyroxine*
Urticaria*
Autoantibodies
Thyroxine

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