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Reinke's oedema, hormones and hormone replacement therapy
A Tsikoudas1, X Kochillas, G Vernham
1St John's Hospital and the Western General Hospital, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. alexandros.tsikoudas@tuht.scot.nhs.uk
Objective:
To study the implications of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) treatment in the pathogenesis of Reinke's oedema (via a possible pseudo-hypothyroidism effect), and also to study why the disease affects a predominantly post-menopausal female population.
Design:
Prospective case series study.
Setting:
Two teaching hospitals and two district general hospitals in Scotland, UK.
Subjects:
Thirty-three patients diagnosed with Reinke's oedema who presented in the out-patient department before or after treatment.
Results:
Thyroid function tests were normal in all but two cases. Only three patients were receiving HRT treatment.
Conclusions:
The study produced no evidence to support a relationship between HRT treatment and the pathogenesis of Reinke's oedema; this supports previous studies which concluded that thyroid function was not related to the development of Reinke's oedema. Some new ideas regarding hormonal factors in Reinke's oedema are discussed.
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