. 2025 Aug 22;17(3):269–277. doi: 10.4274/jcrpe.galenos.2025.2024-9-12

Table 2. Attitude regarding the diagnosis, follow-up and treatment .

Responses

All of the participants

(n=168)

Pediatric endocrinologists (n=122)

Adult endocrinologists (n=46)

p value

‘As a diagnostic test, I use the following thyroid autoantibodies’

TPO-ab+Tg-ab

TPO-ab+Tg-ab+TRAB-

Only TPO-ab*

132 (78.6%)

18 (10.7%)

105 (86.1%)

12 (9.8%)

5 (4.1%)

27 (58.7%)

6 (13%)

13 (28.3%)

0.002

Thyroid autoantibody positivity

‘I would consider any value above the reference range as positive.’

‘I would consider as positive if it is at least twice the upper limit or higher.’

‘I would consider as positive if it is at least 3 times the upper limit or higher.’

Other

79 (47%)

48 (28.6%)

26 (15.5%)

15 (8.9%)

50 (41%)

40 (32.8%)

19 (15.6%)

13 (10.6%)

29 (63%)

8 (17.4%)

7 (15.2%)

2 (4.3%)

0.08

Request for T3 and, or free T3 test

Yes

Undecided

33 (19.6%)

130 (77.4%)

5 (3%)

22 (18%)

95 (77.9%)

5 (4.1%)

11 (23.9%)

35 (76.1%)

0.350

Request of thyroid ultrasound at the time of diagnosis

Yes

Only in case of suspicious nodule on physical examination

153 (91.1%)

1 (0.6%)

14 (8.3%)

115 (94.2%)

7 (5.8%)

38 (82.6%)

1 (2.2%)

7 (15.2%)

0.061

Request of thyroid ultrasound at the follow-up period^#

Yes

152 (90.5%)

16 (9.5%)

117 (95.9%)

5 (4.1%)

35 (76.1%)

11 (23.9%)

<0.001

‘When I give information about the diagnosis of HT, I also inform that it lasts a lifetime’

Agree^†

Disagree

Undecided

118 (70.2%)

28 (16.7%)

22 (13.1%)

76 (62.3%)

25 (20.5%)

21 (17.2%)

42 (91.3%)

3 (6.5%)

1 (2.2%)

0.001

‘When I give information about the diagnosis of HT to the patients and/or their relatives, I also inform that their thyroid functions may change over time.’

Agree

Disagree

Undecided

165 (98.2%)

2 (1.2%)

1 (0.6%)

119 (97.5%)

2 (1.6%)

1 (0.8%)

46 (100%)

0.562

The frequency of outpatient visits for HT cases who do not require LT4 treatment

Every 3 months

Every 6 months

Annually

Other

16 (9.5%)

106 (63.1%)

33 (19.7%)

13 (7.7%)

14 (11.5%)

84 (68.9%)

16 (13.1%)

8 (6.5%)

2 (4.3%)

22 (47.8%)

17 (37%)

5 (10.9%)

0.051

‘I start LT4 treatment in a patient with subclinical hypothyroidism without goiter if’:

TSH >10 IU/L

TSH >5 IU/L

TSH is above the reference ranges.

103 (61.3%)

31 (18.5%)

34 (20.2%)

83 (68%)

21 (17%)

18 (15%)

20 (43.5%)

10 (21%)

16 (34.8%)

0.287

‘I start LT4 treatment in a case of HT with Goiter’:

Even if the patient is euthyroid^‡

If TSH >10 IU/L

If TSH >5 IU/L

If TSH is above the reference ranges

Other

34 (20.2%)

23 (13.7%)

74 (44%)

31 (18.5%)

6 (3.6%)

32 (26.2%)

16 (13.1%)

50 (41%)

20 (16.4%)

4 (3.3%)

2 (4.3%)

7 (15.2%)

24 (52.2%)

11 (24%)

2 (4.3%)

0.017

General approach to discontinue thyroid hormone treatment in a patient who is diagnosed with HT and started treatment^#

‘I do not recommend discontinuing treatment’

‘I try to discontinue treatment if the patient is euthyroid in the follow-up at any time’

74 (44%)

94 (56%)

41 (33.6%)

81 (66.4%)

33(71.7%)

13 (28.3%)

<0.001

*Significant in relation to “Only TPO-ab”, ^#Fisher test was used.^.†Significant in relation to “Agree”, ^‡Significant in relation to “Even if the patient is euthyroid”.

Tg-ab: thyroglobulin antibody, TPO-ab: thyroid peroxidase antibody, TRAB: thyroid stimulating hormone receptor antibody, LT4: levothyroxine, HT: Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, TSH: thyroid stimulating hormone