UK thyroid patients commonly being ‘over-treated’

Hypothyroidism currently affects around one in 20 people and is more common amongst women and people in older age.

Patients with the condition are commonly prescribed lifelong daily hormone pills, usually either levothyroxine (T4) or the more expensive liothyronine (T3). NHS figures show that in 2018, over 32 million prescriptions for levothyroxine were issued in England.

Researchers studied information from 21 trials involving over 2,000 patients to come to their conclusions, which were that almost all patients with mild hypothyroidism did not benefit from hormone treatment.

Newcastle University’s Professor Simon Pearce, said “Thyroid disease is being over-treated currently but it’s premature to make a recommendation not to treat young people on the basis of the available evidence. Some will feel better on treatment.”

Chair of the Royal College of GPs, Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, said “Thyroid hormones are powerful drugs and GPs will only ever prescribe them if we think they are of genuine benefit to the person sitting in front of us, particularly as it usually means taking the tablets and being monitored in the long term.

“If evidence shows that they are not going to be of benefit to our patients, it is important that we know this and that it is reflected in the clinical guidelines that inform our decision-making.

“The authors make a powerful case based on emerging evidence and it is important that this new research is taken on board as clinical guidelines are updated and developed, in the best interests of our patients.”

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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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