Ulcerative Colitis as a Novel Cause of Increased Need for Levothyroxine
Background: Thyroxine absorption takes place at the small intestine level and several disorders affecting this intestinal tract lead to thyroxine malabsorption. An increased need for thyroxine has also been observed in gastric disorders due to variations in drug dissolution and/or in its ionization status. Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease that has been postulated as a potential cause of the increased need for thyroxine, but there is a lack of evidence on this topic. This study is aimed at measuring the thyroxine requirement in hypothyroid patients with UC.