THYROID FUNCTION AFTER ADRENALECTOMY

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Abstract
1. 131I was injected into rats and its concentration in the thyroid of intact and adrenalectomized animals measured. 2. If 131I is injected on the 6th day after adrenalectomy, it is concentrated more slowly in the thyroid and reaches much higher radiation values than in normal animals. The high values generally persist until the death of the animal. 3. If the animals are injected with 131I on the 1st-3rd day after adrenalectomy, before they have developed cortical insufficiency, only the release of 131I is retarded. This explains why, in animals which are in a state of insufficiency at the time of the injection, 131I accumulates in high concentrations in the thyroid. 4. If adrenalectomized animals receive 1 % NaCl as drinking water, they survive longer but release less 131I from their thyroids than normal rats. The thyroids of such animals when measured directly, even 15 and 22 days after the injection of 131I, have a much higher 131I content than those of normal controls. 5. The main change of function of the thyroid after adrenalectomy is that iodine, and hence thyroid hormone, is released more slowly. 6. As a hypothetical explanation it is suggested that metabolism is decreased after adrenalectomy, and consequently less thyroid hormone is needed for oxidation processes.

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