Effect of l-methyl-2-mercaptoimidazole (MMI) on the serum triiodothyronine (T
3) and thyroxine (T
4) was studied in six patients with hyperthyroidism. From 30 to 60 mg of MMI per day were administered to the patients orally. Serum T
3 was measured by radioimmunoassay and T
4 by radioimmunoassay or Tetrasorb Kit (Abbott Lab.).
Serum T
4/T
3 ratios in these patients were low initially, but increased to normal range in two cases immediately after the administration of MMI. But they were unchanged at first in the other four cases. When high serum T
3 values decreased abruptly to normal at a later course of mediaction, the serum T
4/T
3 ratios increased to normal range in almost all cases. Even though the serum T
4/T
3 ratio became normal, serum T
3 and T
4 values remained high in some cases.
Elevated serum T
4 values in all cases decreased to normal faster than serum T
3 with the administration of MMI.
When MMI was administered to the patients continuously, the T
4/T
3 ratios, once increased to normal, then decreased again gradually in five cases. And serum T
3 which decreased to normal sometimes gave high values.
After the discontinuation of MMI, serum T
3 increased over the normal range more rapidly than did T
4.
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