Iodine goitre treatment

Iodides should not be used alone since the normal gland will escape from iodide blockade in 2-8 weeks. Chronic use in pregnancy is not recommended because it crosses placenta and cause fetal goitre. Iodide treatment results in high intrathyroidal iodide content that can delay the onset of thioamide therapy or delay the use for radioactive iodine therapy for weeks if not months. Adverse effects include Hodism which is rare and reversible. The clinical symptoms are acneiform rash, sialadenitis, mucous membrane ulceration, conjuctivitis, rhinor-rhoea, metallic taste and rarely anaphylactoid reaction. 

Several studies have evaluated the effects of excessive iodine intake in humans, and antithyroid antibodies and iodine-induced hypo- and hyperthyroidism have been reported following long-term iodine treatment for endemic goitre (Boyages et al., 1989 Kahaly et al., 1997, 1998). 

Hypothyroidism with goitre can result (rarely) from deficiency of iodine in the diet in which case treatment is with iodine supplementation. 

Acute thyrotoxicosis (TTX) developed several days following a coronary angioplasty procedure necessitating 260 ml of iodixanol (320 mg/ml iodine-containing contrast media) in a 72-year-old age male with cardiovascular disease and prior thyroid toxic nodular goitre. Euthyroid status was established with carbimazole treatment [19A]. 

Treatment of toxic nodular and diffuse goitre with radioactive iodine, Acta Endocrinol. (Copenh)... 

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