Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Thorax logoLink to Thorax
. 1987 Jul;42(7):520–525. doi: 10.1136/thx.42.7.520

Thyroid function and endocrine abnormalities in elderly patients with severe chronic obstructive lung disease.

S M Gow 1, J Seth 1, G J Beckett 1, G Douglas 1
PMCID: PMC460817  PMID: 3125626

Abstract

Serum pituitary and thyroid hormones, testosterone, and the response of pituitary hormones to thyrotrophin releasing hormone were measured in 20 inpatients (mean age 68, range 42-81 years) with severe chronic obstructive lung disease and in 15 control convalescent inpatients (mean age 73, range 57-83 years) who had normal respiratory function. No significant differences were found in total and free thyroid hormone concentrations and basal concentrations of thyrotrophin, growth hormone, and prolactin; and their increments after injection of thyrotrophin releasing hormone were similar in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease, and control patients. Three patients with chronic obstructive lung disease, however, had no thyrotrophin responses to thyrotrophin releasing hormone. In men, low testosterone concentrations were found both in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease and in controls. Luteinising hormone concentrations were higher in men with chronic obstructive lung disease (p less than 0.02), whereas concentrations of follicle stimulating hormone in the two groups were not significantly different. There was no significant correlation between arterial blood gas tensions and these hormone measurements. General effects of age and illness may be more important than direct effects of hypoxia in determining hypothalamic-pituitary function in elderly patients with chronic obstructive lung disease.

Full text

PDF
520

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Aono T., Kurachi K., Mizutani S., Hamanaka Y., Uozumi T., Nakasima A., Koshiyama K., Matsumoto K. Influence of major surgical stress on plasma levels of testosterone, luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone in male patients. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1972 Oct;35(4):535–542. doi: 10.1210/jcem-35-4-535. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Beckett G. J., Henderson C. J., Elwes R., Seth J., Lambie A. T. Thyroid status in patients with chronic renal failure. Clin Nephrol. 1983 Apr;19(4):172–178. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Chopra I. J., Hershman J. M., Pardridge W. M., Nicoloff J. T. Thyroid function in nonthyroidal illnesses. Ann Intern Med. 1983 Jun;98(6):946–957. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-98-6-946. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Corker C. S., Davidson D. W., Edmond P. Plasma testosterone levels in men attending a sub-fertility clinic. J Steroid Biochem. 1978 Apr;9(4):375–376. doi: 10.1016/0022-4731(78)90635-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Crapo R. O., Morris A. H., Gardner R. M. Reference spirometric values using techniques and equipment that meet ATS recommendations. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1981 Jun;123(6):659–664. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1981.123.6.659. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Davies A. B., Williams I., John R., Hall R., Scanlon M. F. Diagnostic value of thyrotrophin releasing hormone tests in elderly patients with atrial fibrillation. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1985 Sep 21;291(6498):773–776. doi: 10.1136/bmj.291.6498.773. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Davis P. J. Ageing and endocrine function. Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1979 Nov;8(3):603–619. doi: 10.1016/s0300-595x(79)80033-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Gomez-Pan A., Alvarez-Ude F., Yeo P. P., Hall R., Evered D. C., Kerr D. N. Function of the hypothalamo-hypophysial-thyroid axis in chronic renal failure. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 1979 Nov;11(5):567–574. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2265.1979.tb03110.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Gow S. M., Elder A., Caldwell G., Bell G., Seth J., Sweeting V. M., Toft A. D., Beckett G. J. An improved approach to thyroid function testing in patients with non-thyroidal illness. Clin Chim Acta. 1986 Jul 15;158(1):49–58. doi: 10.1016/0009-8981(86)90115-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hall A. M., Heywood C., Cotes J. E. Lung function in healthy British women. Thorax. 1979 Jun;34(3):359–365. doi: 10.1136/thx.34.3.359. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Merimee T. J. Endocrine manifestations of systemic disease. Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1979 Nov;8(3):453–466. doi: 10.1016/s0300-595x(79)80025-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Noel G. L., Suh H. K., Stone J. G., Frantz A. G. Human prolactin and growth hormone release during surgery and other conditions of stress. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1972 Dec;35(6):840–851. doi: 10.1210/jcem-35-6-840. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Semple P. A., Graham A., Malcolm Y., Beastall G. H., Watson W. S. Hypoxia, depression of testosterone, and impotence in pickwickian syndrome reversed by weight reduction. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1984 Sep 29;289(6448):801–802. doi: 10.1136/bmj.289.6448.801. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Semple P. D., Beastall G. H., Brown T. M., Stirling K. W., Mills R. J., Watson W. S. Sex hormone suppression and sexual impotence in hypoxic pulmonary fibrosis. Thorax. 1984 Jan;39(1):46–51. doi: 10.1136/thx.39.1.46. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Semple P. D., Beastall G. H., Watson W. S., Hume R. Hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction in respiratory hypoxia. Thorax. 1981 Aug;36(8):605–609. doi: 10.1136/thx.36.8.605. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Seth J., Kellett H. A., Caldwell G., Sweeting V. M., Beckett G. J., Gow S. M., Toft A. D. A sensitive immunoradiometric assay for serum thyroid stimulating hormone: a replacement for the thyrotrophin releasing hormone test? Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1984 Nov 17;289(6455):1334–1336. doi: 10.1136/bmj.289.6455.1334. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Snyder P. J., Utiger R. D. Response to thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) in normal man. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1972 Feb;34(2):380–385. doi: 10.1210/jcem-34-2-380. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Stearns E. L., MacDonnell J. A., Kaufman B. J., Padua R., Lucman T. S., Winter J. S., Faiman C. Declining testicular function with age. Hormonal and clinical correlates. Am J Med. 1974 Nov;57(5):761–766. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(74)90850-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Vinik A. I., Kalk W. J., McLaren H., Hendricks S., Pimstone B. L. Fasting blunts the TSH response to synthetic thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH). J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1975 Mar;40(3):509–511. doi: 10.1210/jcem-40-3-509. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Wehmann R. E., Gregerman R. I., Burns W. H., Saral R., Santos G. W. Suppression of thyrotropin in the low-thyroxine state of severe nonthyroidal illness. N Engl J Med. 1985 Feb 28;312(9):546–552. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198502283120904. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Woolf P. D., Hamill R. W., McDonald J. V., Lee L. A., Kelly M. Transient hypogonadotropic hypogonadism caused by critical illness. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1985 Mar;60(3):444–450. doi: 10.1210/jcem-60-3-444. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. d'A Semple P., Watson W. S., Beastall G. H., Bethel M. I., Grant J. K., Hume R. Diet, absorption, and hormone studies in relation to body weight in obstructive airways disease. Thorax. 1979 Dec;34(6):783–788. doi: 10.1136/thx.34.6.783. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Thorax are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES