Society endorsement for British Thyroid Association position on management of hypothyroidism

The Society for Endocrinology has endorsed the 2015 British Thyroid Association (BTA) Executive Committee statement on the management of primary hypothyroidism which was published online in Clinical Endocrinology on 25 June 2015.
 
Hypothyroidism affects 2 % of the UK population and is caused by reduced activity of the thyroid gland which produces the thyroid hormones, Thyroxine (T4) and Triiodothyronine (T3) which regulate the body’s metabolic rate. Hypothyroidism is usually treated by taking daily hormone replacement tablets. However, there is currently much debate about the role of combined treatment with L-T4 (levothyroxine) and L-T3 (liothyronine) in the treatment of patients with primary hypothyroidism.
 
President of the British Thyroid Association, Dr Mark Vanderpump said, “The statement is based on a systematic review of the recently published positions of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) and the European Thyroid Association (ETA), current literature and the best principles of good medical practice.”
 
Due to the insufficient evidence available from controlled trials, the BTA guidelines are that L-T4/L-T3 combination therapy should not be used routinely.
 
Dr Vanderpump added: “in the future, clinical trials on combination therapy for patients with specified genetic or clinical characteristics will be conducted with the aim of improving patient outcomes.”

The full statement is available online in Clinical Endocrinology.