Background: Although reversible in some patients, primary hypothyroidism is considered a permanent condition requiring lifelong hormone therapy. This study aimed to investigate the factors predicting the successful discontinuation of levothyroxine (L-T4) therapy in patients with primary hypothyroidism.
Methods: A retrospective study was performed in primary hypothyroidism patients who met inclusion criteria: patients who maintained stable L-T4 therapy for more than 1 year, following gradual dose reduction of L-T4 based on the clinical decision (L-T4 tapering); patients receiving either no L-T4 or a fixed minimum dose for more than 1 year after L-T4 tapering. Reduction in L-T4 dosage by 12.5-50 μg within 3 months was considered as L-T4 tapering. Serum free T4, TSH, and clinical symptoms were evaluated before, during and after tapering. Logistic regression and decision tree analyses were performed to predict the successful discontinuation of L-T4.
Results: Among 382 patients, 22.5% and 58.4% showed successful discontinuation (T4-Discontinued) and dose reduction (T4-Reduced) of L-T4 therapy, while other did not obtained any reduction of L-T4 dose (T4-Unchanged). The median number of tapering visit was 1.0 (range, 1.0-4.0). In T4-Discontinued group, the TSH level and the positive rate of anti-thyroperoxidase at the time of L-T4 initiation were lower, the duration of L-T4 therapy was shorter, and the maintenance dose of L-T4 at the time of tapering was lower than those in the T4-Unchanged group. In ultrasonography, normal parenchyma was preserved in the T4-Discontinued group while others showed higher rates of heterogeneous or hypoechoic parenchymal changes. Among those different characteristics, the longer duration of L-T4 therapy and the higher maintenance dose of L-T4 at the time of tapering significantly predicted the failure of discontinuation of L-T4 in multivariate analysis. A decision tree showed that patients with a duration of L-T4 therapy >4.6 years had lower success rate of discontinuation.
Conclusion: Shorter duration of L-T4 therapy and lower L-T4 dose at the time of tapering are the predictable factors for successful L-T4 tapering in stably maintained primary hypothyroidism patients.