Total and free thyroxine in patients with liver cirrhosis

In 11 patients with compensated and 10 with decompensated liver cirrhosis the following determinations were carried out: total thyroxine serum concentration (T4), triiodothyronine-binding coefficient (T3BC), free thyroxine by the dialysis method (DFT4), free thyroxine index (FT4I) and absolute value of free thyroxine (ADFT4). A statistically significant rise of T3BC, DFT4, ADFT4 and FT4I was observed only in the group of decompensated cirrhosis. It is supposed that these changes develop not as a result of excessive production of thyroid hormones but due to disturbances in the binding capacity of the proteins which bind thyroid hormones and also due to an impaired degradation of these hormones in the liver.