Transient prealbumin-associated hyperthyroxinemia in TSH-producing pituitary adenoma

This case report describes a 38-year-old male who was hospitalized for further clarification of clinically mild hyperthyroidism. His increased total hormone levels, the elevated free thyroid hormones and the elevated basal TSH with blunted response to TRH strongly suggested a pituitary adenoma with inappropriate TSH incretion. Transmission computed tomography showed an intrasellar expansion, 16 mm in diameter. The neoplastic TSH production was confirmed by an elevated alpha-subunit and a raised molar alpha-sub/TSH ratio. However, T4 distribution on prealbumin (PA, TTR), albumin (A) and thyroxine binding globulin (TBG) showed a clearly increased binding to PA (39%), indicating additional prealbumin-associated hyperthyroxinemia. The absolute values of PA, A and TBG were within the normal range. After removal of the TSH-producing adenoma, basal TSH, the free thyroid hormones and T4 binding to prealbumin returned to normal. Therefore, the prealbumin-associated hyperthyroxinemia had to be interpreted as a transitory phenomenon related to secondary hyperthyroidism (T4 shift from thyroxine binding globulin to prealbumin) rather than a genetically conditioned anomaly of protein binding.