Relationship between thyroid hormone levels in euthyroid patients before HSCT and time to achieve neutrophil and platelet engraftment: an analytical cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction. The time to reach neutrophil (NE) and platelet engraftment (PE) in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is one of the most important factors indicating transplantation survival. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between thyroid hormone levels before HSCT and the time to achieve NE and PE. Material and methods. The relationship between thyroid hormone levels before HSCT, age, gender, type of HSCT, type of disease and cluster of differentiation 34+ (CD34+) cell count and the number of days to reach NE and PE was examined in 37 clinically and laboratorially euthyroid patients. Results. An odds ratio (OR) of > 6 was observed in the probability of time to NE > 10 days in patients with thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) > 2.89 mU/L in the upper normal range (UNR) and male patients, also in the probability of time to PE > 15 days in patients with TSH > 2.89 mU/L in the UNR. Statistically significant p -value and confidence interval were found in the probability of time to NE > 10 days in male patients (OR = 8.58, p -value = 0.036) and time to PE > 15 days in patients with TSH > 2.89 mU/L in the UNR (OR = 14.32, p -value = 0.041). Conclusions. Treatment with low dose levothyroxine can be cautiously recommended to achieve TSH to ≤2.8 mU/L in the lower normal range before performing HSCT in euthyroid patients, which will reduce the times to NE and PE and help earlier discharge of patients.