Is there a connection between amiodarone and hypothyroidism?

Amiodarone is a medicine used to treat arrhythmias, which are irregular types of heart rhythms. It is known for having a high level of efficiency, but also tends to cause side effects more often than less effective medicines. The research has shown a link between Amiodarone and Hypothyroidism or the thyroid manner. Other thyroid dysfunction, including hyperthyroidism or excessive activity of this gland, may also result from the use of this drug. This drug contains iodine that can affect thyroid function. In more than 25 percent of patients taking this drug, thyroid dysfunction may occur, sometimes several months after the last dose.

There is a more common link between amiodarone and hypothyroidism in places where individuals receive food with sufficient iodine. Regions where individuals receive insufficient in general show that this drug is associated with other thyroid disorders. Other risk factors can also predict hypothyroidism. FirstExisting thyroid conditions exist in approximately 68 percent of individuals who develop this dysfunction after amiodarone removal. After taking this drug, women are approximately 50 percent more likely to develop hypothyroidism than men.

It seems that a specific type of thyroid dysfunction called Hashimoto thyroiditis contributes to the connection between amiodarone and hypothyroidism. This dysfunction seems to increase the effect of iodine on the thyroid gland. The presence of iodine can often reduce the ability of this gland to produce thyroid hormone. People with Hashimoto thyroiditis tend to develop hypothyroidism over time and the presence of amiodarone this process can accelerate.

Some actions of this drug may also lead to a connection between amiodarone and hypothemehyroidism. It can directly damage the tissue containing thyroid. In addition, amiodarone can inhibit the passage of certain hormones into this gland that afterThey dilute her function. Finally, the medicine can directly compete for the receptor space inside the gland, preventing the right operation.

It seems that other drugs for arrhythmia do not show the same tendency to cause hypothyroidism. This may be due to their differences in structure and iodine deficiency. One study showed that 25.8 percent of amiodarone people developed hypothyroidism by detectable measuring enzymes. Patients taking placebo or sotalol, different treatment of arrhythmias, showing only the levels of enzyme associated with hypothyroidism in 6.6 percent of cases. Individuals using amiodarone showed apparent signs of hypothyroidism in 5 percent of cases, but only 0.3 percent of people who use sotalol had comparable symptoms, showing how strongly this drug is associated with undervalued thyroid activities.