Abstract

ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND:
Serum thyroid hormone level can provide a quantitative index for evaluating the severity of chronic heart failure.
OBJECTIVES:
To assess the contributions of thyroid hormones [tri-iodothyronine] (T3) and thyroxine (T4)] to the left ventricular (LV) dilatation and myocardial dysfunction in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC).
METHODS:
Forty patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC) aged 46.20 + 1.90 years, as (mean ± SEM) (11 females and 29 males) were studied. Serum total T3, total T4 and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) were measured in these patients. Echocardiographic parameters including LV systolic diameter, septal thickness systolic diameter, LV diastolic diameter, septal thickness diastolic diameter and LV ejection fraction (LVEF) were also be assessed in all patients.
RESULTS:
This study showed that the serum T4 values were significantly directly correlated with the values of EF % (r = 0.34; p < 0.035) along with significant inverse relationship between serum levels of T3 and the diameter of LV systole (r = - 0.34; p< 0.032).
CONCLUSION:
This study revealed an important significant correlation between serum thyroid hormones levels and echocardiographic parameter values that may point to the role of these biochemical factors in the contribution to the LV dilatation and cardiac dysfunction (heart failure) .