Automatic Levothyroxine Dosing Algorithm for Patients Suffering from Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

Ravi Sharma*, Verena Theiler-Schwetz, Christian Trummer, Stefan Pilz, Markus Reichhartinger

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Hypothyroidism is a condition where the patient’s thyroid gland cannot produce sufficient thyroid hormones (mainly triiodothyronine and thyroxine). The primary cause of hypothyroidism is autoimmune-mediated destruction of the thyroid gland, referred to as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. A patient’s desired thyroid hormone concentration is achieved by oral administration of thyroid hormone, usually levothyroxine. Establishing individual levothyroxine doses to achieve desired thyroid hormone concentrations requires several patient visits. Additionally, clear guidance for the dosing regimen is lacking, and significant inter-individual differences exist. This study aims to design a digital automatic dosing algorithm for patients suffering from Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. The dynamic behaviour of the relevant thyroid function is mathematically modelled. Methods of automatic control are exploited for the design of the proposed robust model-based levothyroxine dosing algorithm. Numerical simulations are performed to evaluate the mathematical model and the dosing algorithm. With the help of the developed controller thyroid hormone concentrations of patients, emulated using Thyrosim, have been regulated under the euthyroid state. The proposed concept demonstrates reliable responses amidst varying patient parameters. Our developed model provides a useful basis for the design of automatic levothyroxine dosing algorithms. The proposed robust feedback loop contributes to the first results for computer-assisted thyroid dosing algorithms.
Original languageEnglish
Article number724
JournalBioengineering
Volume10
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 14 Jun 2023

Keywords

  • discrete controller
  • Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
  • HPT-axis
  • mathematical thyroid model
  • robust stability

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Bioengineering

Fields of Expertise

  • Human- & Biotechnology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Automatic Levothyroxine Dosing Algorithm for Patients Suffering from Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this