Meta-analysis to assess the impact of adding Lithium to radioiodine in the treatment of hyperthyroidism.

Abstract

Abstract Background, Lithium's ability to increase iodine retention in the thyroid gland and decrease thyroid hormone release may have implications for hyperthyroidism management. The meta-analysis aims to evaluate the impact of adding lithium to radioactive iodine for the management of hyperthyroidism. Methods, Inclusion criteria included studies from different languages that compare the impact of adding lithium as an adjuvant therapy to iodine for managing hyperthyroidism. The outcomes of these studies were analyzed using a random-effect model and it was used to calculate the mean difference (MD) with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) to quantify the impact of different rehabilitation techniques on clinical parameters. Results, Cure rate of hyperthyroidism subjects receiving lithium plus iodine was significantly higher than that of iodine alone, p = 0.007. while dividing the total studies into subgroups showed the variable result expressed as a significant (p = 0.004) cure rate in favor of the lithium group for studies with subjects Number equal to or higher than 100 subjects. Dividing studies according to the type of randomized and observational studies showed different findings expressed as significant (p =0.01) cure rates for observation studies and the non-significant (p =0.1) difference between both groups in randomized clinical trials. On the other hand, analysis of the intervention impact on thyroxine level showed a non-significant (P=0.13) effect. Conclusion, using lithium as adjuvant therapy for the management of hyperthyroidism showed a great influence on the cure rate. However, several multicenter randomized trials are still needed to ensure practical findings.