Resistance to thyroid hormone

Resistance to thyroid hormone (RTH) is usually dominantly inherited and is characterized by elevated free thyroid hormones in the serum and failure to suppress pituitary thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) secretion with variable refractoriness to hormone action in peripheral tissues. Two major forms of the disorder are recognized: asymptomatic individuals with generalized resistance (GRTH) and patients with thyrotoxic features, suggesting predominant pituitary resistance (PRTH). Molecular genetic analyses indicate that both GRTH and PRTH are associated with diverse mutations in the thyroid hormone receptor beta gene, which localize to three regions in the hormone binding domain of the receptor. In addition to being functionally impaired, the mutant receptors are also able to inhibit their wild-type counterparts in a dominant negative manner. Recognized features of RTH include failure to thrive, growth retardation and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in childhood, and goitre and thyrotoxic cardiac symptoms in adults. The pathogenesis of variable tissue resistance is not fully understood but may be related to the differing tissue distributions of a and b thyroid hormone receptors and variable dominant negative activity of mutant receptors on different target genes.