Abstract
Feline hyperthyroidism is a clinical syndrome related to an excessive production of thyroid hormones, and it is considered as a spontaneous animal model for human thyrotoxicosis. Many shared features between the feline and the human disease have been identified so far, including pathogenesis, clinical signs, and treatment options. Although methimazole is considered the first-choice drug in both species, several side effects have been described. Furthermore, methimazole could interfere with the oxidative status, already perturbated by the disease. It has been reported in humans that dietary management, mainly through antioxidant supplementation, could mitigate this oxidative burden. The purpose of the review is to describe current therapeutic options in the course of feline hyperthyroidism and to summarize the state of the art relationship between dietary antioxidants administration and the reduction of methimazole side-effects in humans to support the use of this approach also in cats.
Highlights
The term “hyperthyroidism”, as described in humans, is an endocrine disorder where the thyroid gland produces excessive thyroid hormones. [1]
The disease most often results from benign adenomatous nodules of the thyroid tissue, making it like Plummer’s disease, while clinical and therapeutic management are comparable with the Basedow-Graves’ disease [4]
This study focused on the effect of MMI on IFN-alpha action in FRTL-5 rat thyroid cells
Summary
The term “hyperthyroidism”, as described in humans, is an endocrine disorder where the thyroid gland produces excessive thyroid hormones. [1]. Feline hyperthyroidism (FHT) must be considered as a multisystem disorder due to an increased production of thyroid hormones by the hyperfunctioning thyroid tissue. Humans and cats share many common features of the disease such as clinical presentation and physiopathology. The disease most often results from benign adenomatous nodules of the thyroid tissue, making it like Plummer’s disease (toxic nodular goiter), while clinical and therapeutic management are comparable with the Basedow-Graves’ disease [4]. Metabolic oxidation has been correlated, both in hyperthyroid humans and cats, with signs and symptoms of the disease [5]; the decrease in antioxidant defenses and the boost in oxidative stress can be considered a risk factor for several idiosyncratic drug toxicity syndromes to anti-thyroid drugs, such as methimazole [6,7].
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