Determination on the level of serum thyroid hormone in patients with trichloroethylene-induced medica-mentosa-like dermatitis

Objective To observe the changes in the serum level of thyroid hormone in patients with trichloroethylene (TCE)-induced medicamentosa-like dermatitis.Methods Sixty five patients diagnosed with TCE-induced medicamentosa-like dermatitis were enrolled in this study between January 2009 and Decem-ber 201 3.Sixty five healthy subjects were used as normal controls.Serum levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH),free triiodothyronine (FT3 )and free thyroxine (FT4 )were measured using chemiluminescence meth-od.Total dose of steroid hormones administered for all patients with TCE-induced medicamentosa-like dermati-tis was statistically calculated.Results The serum levels of thyroid hormones in TCE-induced medicamentosa-like dermatitis patients were significantly lower than those in healthy controls:FT3 (2.86 ±1 .56 vs.4.70 ± 0.92 pmol/L),FT4 (8.86 ±5.1 5 vs.1 6.07 ±3.02 pmol/L)and TSH (1 .23 ±1 .28 vs.2.71 ±1 .35 mIu/L)(all P <0.01 ).The serum levels of thyroid hormones in the high-dose group were significantly lower com-pared with those in the low-dose group:FT3 (1 .39 ±0.81 vs.1 .39 ±0.81 pmol/L),FT4 (4.1 2 ±2.83 vs.1 1 .81 ±3.92 pmol/L)and TSH (0.41 ±0.1 5 vs.1 .75 ±1 .40 mIu/l)(all P <0.01 ).Conclusions The serum levels of thyroid hormones in TCE-induced medicamentosa-like dermatitis patients are significantly lower than those in healthy counterparts.Detection of thyroid hormone levels is beneficial to the evaluation of the se-verity and prognosis for this disease.