Thyroid Hormone Reduces Afib (at least in rats).

[Ema]

In the NIH-funded study, published in the Journal of Cardiac Failure, the team found that thyroid hormone replacement therapy significantly reduced the incidence of atrial fibrillation -- a specific kind of irregular heartbeat, or arrhythmia -- in the rats, compared to a control group that did not receive the hormones.

The current study notes reluctance to use thyroid hormone replacement therapy in humans with heart diseases likely has its roots in several studies that used excessive doses of thyroid hormones or thyroid mimics.

New York Institute of Technology. "Thyroid hormones reduce animal cardiac arrhythmias." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 10 December 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141210140838.htm>.

 

[barbc56]

@Ema

Do you have a direct link to this? I went to the page and it gave complicated instructions to find the article. Maybe I'll try later today when hopefully I will be less foggy. Perhaps some caffeine would help?

Thanks

Barb

 

[Sushi]

"Thyroid hormones reduce animal cardiac arrhythmias."

Replying as a human (most of the time that is), thyroid hormones can also be a risk for Afib unless they are really well calibrated. For me, I was taking a low dose, checking every few months, but my ME treatment caused hormone function to improve rather rapidly and I became hyperthyroid without knowing it--until I had to go to the ER with extreme Afib.

Sushi

 

[barbc56]

@Sushi

That's why I was asking about this study as it seems counterintuitive.

At one time, I was hyperthyroid, it runs in my family, and it was quite scary. Fortunately, there was no damage to my heart, but I was also very young. This is why I find it disturbing when people play around with their dosage based only on how they feel.

Of course there are the gray areas where a clinical decision has to be made whether watchful waiting or a low dose of thyroid medicaion is needed. But this decision needs to be made by a patient and his or her endocrinologist, who has had years of specialized training to decide a treatment plan.

I am now hypothyroid and because my levels of medication have needed to be raised more than most people in the same amout of time, I am tested every three months.

Barb