Objective: Although hypothyroidism has been linked to oxidative stress, data regarding the relationship between thyroid hormone levels and oxidative stress is still inconsistent. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of levothyroxine replacement on oxidative stress in women with primary hypothyroidism.Design: A total of 25 female patients with primary hypothyroidism were included. Oxidative stress markers were measured before and after levothyroxine replacement treatment in all patients.Methods: Oxidative stress was evaluated through the measurement of oxidants (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances [TBARS] and nitrite/nitrate levels), and antioxidants (superoxide dismutase and catalase activity).Results: Antioxidant catalase activity (63.77 ± 23.8 vs. 50.12 ±12.75 atv/min; p = 0.03) was significantly increased and the levels of TBARS (3.02 ± 0.86 vs. 3.55 ± 0.87 μM; p = 0.03) were significantly decreased in the state of euthyroidism after levothyroxine replacement compared to the hypothyroidism before levothyroxine treatment. No significant change in neither nitrite/nitrate concentration (p = 0.18) nor in superoxide dismutase activity (p = 0.93) after L-T4 adjustment was found.Conclusions: Our data demonstrate that levothyroxine replacement improved oxidative status in patients with primary hypothyroidism, indexed by the significantly decreased levels of malonaldehyde (MDA) and increased catalase (CAT) activity.

Objective:The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly disrupted health care worldwide. We aimed to evaluate the impact of the first COVID-19 wave on the treatment of our patients with acromegaly. Subjects and methods: A standard questionnaire was systematically applied to all patients and included questions on general health status, whether all laboratory workup had been done, common signs and symptoms of acromegaly, treatment adherence, and previous COVID-19 symptoms and diagnosis. Results: We attempted to contact 136 patients with acromegaly at regular follow-up at our institution and contacted 101 of them successfully. In all, 37% of the patients reported symptoms of acromegaly, which was more common among women. A total of 27 patients were lost to follow-up (including 19 who interrupted treatment during the pandemic) mainly for fear of becoming infected by the SARS-CoV-2. Of these, 24 resumed follow-up after our contact. Conclusions: The current COVID-19 pandemic has strongly impacted the follow-up of patients with acromegaly. Telemedicine can be an important tool to maintain regular treatment in the current or future pandemics.

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