Esophagus motility in overt hypothyroidism.

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Endocrinology
• Physiology

Background:

• The gastrointestinal tract is frequently affected in hypothyroidism.
• Previous research suggests altered esophageal and gastric transit times in hypothyroidism.
• The precise mechanisms of thyroid hormone and antibody effects on esophageal motility remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate esophageal motility in hypothyroid patients using manometry.
• To evaluate the impact of hypothyroidism on esophageal motor function.

Main Methods:

• Esophageal manometry was performed on 28 newly diagnosed overt hypothyroid patients and 29 age- and sex-matched healthy controls.
• Conventional manometry was conducted using MMS (Medical Measurement Systems bv, The Netherlands) Solar GI-Air-Charged Intelligent Gastrointestinal Conventional Manometry system.
• Patient demographics included 21 females and 7 males with hypothyroidism, and 22 females and 7 males in the control group.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in lower esophageal sphincter pressure (LESP) was observed between hypothyroid patients (19.5 ± 6.5 mmHg) and controls (17.48 ± 4.65 mmHg; p = 0.18).
• Hypothyroid patients exhibited a significantly lower percentage of relaxation (61.5% vs. 80.9%; p < 0.001) and a shorter duration of relaxation (3.85 ± 2.3 s vs. 5.5 ± 2.28 s; p = 0.009) compared to controls.
• In hypothyroid patients, LESP positively correlated with free triiodothyronine (fT3; p = 0.033), and contraction duration negatively correlated with free thyroxine (fT4; p = 0.044).

Conclusions:

• Hypothyroidism adversely affects esophageal motility, characterized by reduced relaxation percentage and duration, even in asymptomatic individuals.
• Thyroid hormone levels show correlations with specific esophageal motility parameters in hypothyroid patients.
• Further research is warranted to elucidate the detailed effects of thyroid hormones on esophageal motor function.