Circulating thyroid hormone changes in acute trauma: prognostic implications for clinical outcome

Alterations in circulating thyroid hormone concentrations occur in a variety of nonthyroidal disease states. In the present study, thyroid hormone levels were measured every 8 to 12 hours in 19 otherwise healthy individuals suffering acute severe trauma necessitating admission to the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems. Four fatalities occurred within 48 hours of admission. The mean total T3 level fell rapidly after the onset of trauma and remained low throughout the observation period. Reverse T3 rose concurrent with the fall in T3 but gradually returned to normal in the survivors. Total and free T4 levels remained normal in the survivors but fell below normal in the fatalities on the samples obtained preceding death. Changes in free T4 were consistent in three separate radioimmunoassay systems. Pharmacologic doses of glucocorticoids administered to seven of the 15 survivors and to the four fatalities did not result in an acute depression in total and free T4 levels in the survivors. Post-mortem examination of three fatalities did not reveal evidence of significant thyroid or pituitary disease. These results suggest that in acutely traumatized patients: 1) T3 declines rapidly and remains depressed throughout the illness; 2) continued fall of T4 to subnormal levels is associated with a poor prognosis; and 3) steroid therapy alone cannot explain the acute changes observed in hormone levels.