Bozchelou Shahrzad, Delirrad Mohammad
Toxicology Department, Islamic Azad University, Ahar, Iran.
Department of Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology, University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran.
Toxicol Res. 2019 Jan;35(1):9-12. doi: 10.5487/TR.2019.35.1.009. Epub 2018 Jan 15.
One of the major challenges in methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) for drug dependence is the physiological side effects on endocrine hormones. Because of the key role of the thyroid gland in the normal functioning of the human body and brain, this study examined the effect of MMT on thyroid function. Thyroid hormones (T3, T4, and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)) were evaluated in normal and user treated with MMT who were referred to the Province Clinical & Pathology Center of Urmia, Iran. The study was conducted for three months using the Case Series method. A total of 270 samples were collected, 215 were from individuals who were not treated, whereas 55 were from men treated with methadone. Average levels of T3 and T4 in non-treated sample of men are 1.34 ± 0.02 ng/mL and 90.96 ± 1.38 ng/mL while the corresponding values for patients treated with methadone are 1.39 ± 0.04 ng/mL for T3 and 94.57 ± 2.72 ng/mL for T4. Mean TSH levels of the non-treated group and the methadone consuming group were 1.75 ± 0.08 μIU/mL and 3.17 ± 0.45 μIU/mL, respectively. These results indicate that although men treated with methadone had higher levels of T3, T4, and TSH than normal individuals, only the difference in TSH level was significant. The importance of this difference among individuals on methadone maintenance programs should be investigated in larger samples over long periods of time. Additionally, the effects of methadone treatment on women should be examined.
美沙酮维持疗法（MMT）治疗药物依赖面临的主要挑战之一是其对内分泌激素的生理副作用。由于甲状腺在人体和大脑正常功能中发挥关键作用，本研究考察了MMT对甲状腺功能的影响。在伊朗乌尔米耶省临床与病理中心，对接受MMT治疗的使用者以及正常人的甲状腺激素（三碘甲状腺原氨酸（T3）、甲状腺素（T4）和促甲状腺激素（TSH））进行了评估。本研究采用病例系列法，为期三个月。共采集了270份样本，其中215份来自未接受治疗的个体，55份来自接受美沙酮治疗的男性。未接受治疗的男性样本中T3和T4的平均水平分别为1.34±0.02 ng/mL和90.96±1.38 ng/mL，而接受美沙酮治疗的患者T3和T4的相应值分别为1.39±0.04 ng/mL和94.57±2.72 ng/mL。未治疗组和服用美沙酮组的TSH平均水平分别为1.75±0.08 μIU/mL和3.17±0.45 μIU/mL。这些结果表明，尽管接受美沙酮治疗的男性的T3、T4和TSH水平高于正常个体，但只有TSH水平的差异具有统计学意义。对于美沙酮维持治疗项目中个体间这种差异的重要性，应在更大样本、更长时间内进行研究。此外，还应考察美沙酮治疗对女性的影响。
