Lithium therapy and thyroid function: a long-term study

Abstract
SYNOPSIS Seventy-three patients who had been continuously receiving lithium carbonate for 6 months or more had their thyroid function evaluated clinically and biochemically. Goitre was found in 37 %, exophthalmos in 23 %, positive thyroid auto-antibodies in 24 % and abnormal TRH tests in 49 %. It would appear that thyroid failure due to lithium is usually dependent on antibody mediated damage. It is unlikely that lithium has a direct effect on the hypothalamic–pituitary axis.