Background/aims: Gastrointestinal disturbances such as diarrhea and malabsorption with steatorrhea may show up in hyperthyroid patients. The aim of our study was to evaluate oro-caecal transit time (OCTT) and gastrointestinal symptoms in hyperthyroid patients before and after propylthiouracil administration.
Materials and methods: Twenty hyperthyroid patients (15 Females and 5 Males, mean age 47 years) were studied. Eight of them had diarrhea and 10 steatorrhea. The control group was composed of 20 healthy volunteers (13 F and 7 M, mean age 49 yrs). OCTT and fecal fat excretion were measured before and after propylthiouracil administration (300 mg/day for 10 day and then 200 mg/day for 30 days).
Results: Before the treatment in hyperthyroid patients had began the mean OCTT was significantly lower than in the control group (64 min. versus 107 min; p < 0.0001). After treatment mean OCTT became similar to the controls (p = ns); diarrhea disappeared in all affected patients and mean fecal fat excretion was reduced from 7.9 gr/24h to 3.4 gr/24h, with a statistically significantly difference (p < 0.0001).
Conclusions: The treatment with propylthiouracil induces the normalization of thyroid hormone status and consequently of OCTT with the disappearance of gastrointestinal symptoms, such as diarrhea and steatorrhea, with a better efficacy if compared to other drugs utilized in the treatment of hyperthyroidism.