Influence of antithyroidal therapy on asthma symptoms in the patients with both bronchial asthma and hyperthyroidism

To investigate the possible influences of hyperthyroidism on the pathophysiology of bronchial asthma, we clinically observed the effect of antihyperthyroidal therapy on asthmatic symptoms in 7 patients who shared both disorders. In five cases, asthma symptoms were affected by the therapy. Asthma symptoms improved after normalization of thyroid function in two cases, but worsened after therapy for hyperthyroidism in three cases. There was no apparent correlation between the pathophysiology of the two diseases after therapy in the two other cases. These results showed that thyrotoxicosis does not uniformly affect the pathophysiology of asthma and emphasizes the need to follow asthmatic patients closely following treatment for hyperthyroidism.