2013 Volume 77 Issue 12 Pages 2898-2903
Background: Amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis (AIT) may develop long after amiodarone withdrawal. This study sought to determine the incidence and clinical characteristics of AIT after amiodarone withdrawal. Methods and Results: The incidence and clinical characteristics of AIT were examined retrospectively in 71 patients (51 males, mean age 65±13 years) whose amiodarone therapy had been discontinued after at least 1 month of administration. Five (7%) patients developed AIT late after amiodarone withdrawal (11±3 months): 2 patients exhibited exacerbation of heart failure by atrial fibrillation, 2 developed dyspnea on exertion, and 1 patient was asymptomatic. The patients who developed AIT had a high incidence of amiodarone-induced hypothyroidism during amiodarone therapy (100 vs. 24%, P=0.002), had received amiodarone therapy for longer (76±86 months vs. 16±22 months, P<0.001), with a larger cumulative dose (271.1±268.5g vs. 63.4±86.5g, P<0.001) compared with those who did not. In all 5 patients, AIT resolved spontaneously within 5 months without the use of steroids. Conclusions: Occurrence of amiodarone-induced hypothyroidism during amiodarone therapy and long duration of therapy may be cautionary markers of late AIT. (Circ J 2013; 77: 2898–2903)
