SELECTION OF THERAPY FOR INDIVIDUAL PATIENTS WITH THYROTOXICOSIS

The obscurity of the causation of thyrotoxicosis and the lack of completely satisfactory results with any type of therapy that has been prescribed for it have promoted continuous investigations, involving many different approaches. Some of the many types of treatment that have been, or are being, investigated are listed in table 1. The rationale of these therapies is based on the hypothesis that the central nervous system plays an important role in regulating the production and release of thyrotropin, which, in turn, governs the production of thyroid hormone; since too much of the latter causes thyrotoxicosis, anything, no matter where its action is centered, which tends to decrease the production of the thyroid hormone or antagonize its action will cause a remissioin in thyrotoxicosis.

During approximately the last five years I have investigated various of these types of therapy in 441 patients with thyrotoxicosis. Some of the specific compounds tested