Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Hypothyroidism is a clinical condition caused by a deficiency of thyroid hormones or a decrease in their biological activity. Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) are early depolarizations of the myocardium originating in the ventricles. Rhythms with frequent and apparently idiopathic PVCs are considered to be a benign condition that can be managed with conservative measures. Beta blockers are considered to be quite effective.

Objective: To demonstrate the positive effect that the compensation of hypothyroidism had on the “treatment” of PVC.

Methods: The study, which lasted for six months, involved 73 women (aged 19y-53y), who were diagnosed with PVCs after 48 hours of Holter monitoring. In addition, TSH and FT4 levels in the blood were checked. TSH levels were ranging from 3.7-6.2 IU/ml, however FT4 levels were normal, therefore the patients were also diagnosed with hypothyroidism. They were treated with Levothyroxine exclusively (no Beta blockers were prescribed). Medication doses were calculated individually based on the patient’s body weight.

Result: Approximately 15 days after the start of Levothyroxine administration, the patients started experiencing significantly less tachycardia. Moreover, according to the second Holter monitoring, which was performed after 2 months, VPCs were either absent or considerably decreased.

Conclusion: We can conclude from this research that besides compensating hypothyroidism, Levothyroxine is highly likely to also “treat” benign ventricular extrasystoles.