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Influences of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) on concentrations of thyroid hormones are known for a long time. These effects could be explained with interference between NSAIDs and thyroid hormone binding. We investigated the effects of a single dose of aceclofenac on thyroid function and thyroid hormone binding in 18 healthy volunteers. Serum levels of free thyroid hormones (FT3, FT4) and thyrotropin (TSH) were measured with commercial available kids and thyroid hormone binding was estimated with a specially modified horizontal argarose-gel-electrophoresis prior to and 2 hours after receiving a single dose of aceclofenac. We found a significant decrease in T3 binding on TBG and a significant increase of albumin-bound T3. All other investigated thyroid hormone binding parameters, FT3 and FT4, showed no significant changes. We conclude that aceclofenac leads to a significant redistribution of T3 protein binding. These effects seem to be explained by T3 displacement from TBG induced by aceclofenac.

The frequent occurrence of both rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune thyroiditis was already investigated with in part many conflicting results. We investigated a number of 792 patients (383 of them suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and 409 with osteoarthritis). In all patients antithyroid peroxidase and antithyroglobulin antibodies were determined. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis showed a significantly higher occurrence of circulating thyroid antibodies than those with osteoarthritis (9.1% versus 3.7%, p = 0.0016). We conclude that there exists a cumulate coincidence of both diseases. Patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis should undergo a thyroid examination especially for the presence of autoimmune thyroiditis.

Effects of gender and age on quantitative sacroiliac joint imaging are discussed controversially. In most investigations the number of controls has been small and might not exactly reflect the change of sacroiliac/sacral (SI/S) ratios related to different age and gender. The aim of our study was to evaluate the changes SI/S ratios according to age and gender. In 125 patients without any history of either diseases or complaints of the sacroiliac joints a bone scintigraphy was obtained and the SI/S ratios were calculated. We observed a significant negative correlation of SI/S index with age. After separation into 4 different age groups a significant decline of the ratios could be shown. There were no significant differences between male and female patients. We conclude that the influence of age on SI/S ratios is substantial. But also many other factors like patient position, algorithm of SI/S ratio calculation, the time interval between application of the radiopharmaceutical and data acquisition may exert effects on SI/S ratios. It seems necessary for each department to evaluate their own age related reference values of SI/S ratios.