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Iodine & Thyroidectomy

Jul 30, 2011 | By Ruth Coleman

The thyroid gland is important; it helps maintain a balance of calcium in the bloodstream, and it regulates the body's metabolism. While the gland releases the calcitonin hormone to lower a high blood calcium level, the T4 and T3 thyroid hormones affect the metabolism. The thyroid cells must use iodine to make the thyroid hormones, and iodine has an effect both before and after a thyroidectomy.

Thyroidectomy

Thyroidectomy is the medical term for the removal of part of the thyroid gland or the entire gland. This surgery may be performed if you have hyperthyroidism, a thyroid cyst, thyroid nodule, goiter, noncancerous tumor or thyroid cancer. Hyperthyroidism describes the condition in which the thyroid gland releases too much thyroid hormone; this is usually because of disease, but can be caused by injury to the gland, as explained in "Greenspan's Basic & Clinical Endocrinology" by Geeta Lal, M.D., assistant professor of surgery at the University of Iowa. A goiter is an enlarged thyroid gland.

Iodine

Cells in the thyroid gland must have iodine to make thyroid hormones. The iodine you consume is absorbed in the intestines, then travels through the bloodstream to reach the thyroid gland. The thyroid cells then use the iodine to make the thyroxine hormone, also called T4, and the triiodothyronine hormone, or T3. To have a normally functioning thyroid gland, you should consume 150 mcg of iodine daily, but Americans who use table salt have an estimated 500 mcg a day, according to Kim Barrett, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of California, in "Ganong's Review of Medical Physiology."

Iodine Before Thyroidectomy

Before having a total or partial thyroidectomy, you may first need anti-thyroid medication to prevent a life-threatening complication called a thyroid storm, in which the stress of surgery could lead to increased levels of thyroid hormone, a high amount of cortisol and glucose in the bloodstream, high blood pressure, fever and a fast heartbeat, according to Roy Weiss, M.D., Ph.D., in "Principles of Critical Care." The physician may prescribe Lugol's solution, which contains potassium iodide and iodine, to be taken three times a day for the 10 days before the thyroidectomy to decrease the blood flow in the gland and lower the risk of developing a thyroid storm.

Iodine After Thyroidectomy

A study involving 139 thyroidectomy patients in a moderately iodine-deficient area, reported on in the October 2002 issue of "Clinical Endocrinology," set out to see whether consuming iodine every day after surgery because of a large thyroid gland would affect their thyroid medication. The patients had ultrasounds after surgery to determine the size of the remaining thyroid gland, and another ultrasound a year later at the study's conclusion. Those who had thyroid medication and iodized salt had smaller thyroid glands; thus, having iodine every day made the thyroid medication more effective.

References

Article reviewed by Bonny Brown Jones Last updated on: Jul 30, 2011

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