{Reference Type}: Review
{Title}: Lactose intolerance and levothyroxine malabsorption: a review of the literature and report of a series of patients treated with liquid L-T4 without lactose.
{Author}: Ferrari SM;Patrizio A;Mazzi V;Ragusa F;Botrini C;Elia G;Balestri E;Barozzi E;Rugani L;Bracchitta F;Stoppini G;Frenzilli G;Baldini E;Virili C;Benvenga S;Fallahi P;Antonelli A;
{Journal}: Front Endocrinol (Lausanne)
{Volume}: 15
{Issue}: 0
{Year}: 2024
{Factor}: 6.055
{DOI}: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1386510
{Abstract}: In hypothyroid patients needing large doses of levothyroxine (L-T4) (>1.7-2 μg/kg/day) to reach euthyroidism, lactose intolerance (LI) needs to be excluded, owing to the high prevalence in the population. If LI is present, a lactose-free diet decreases the rate of L-T4 malabsorption. However, an increased requirement of L-T4 is described in patients with LI, which can be beneficially treated using lactose-free L-T4 formulation. The lactose-free liquid L-T4 formulation is able to circumvent LI malabsorption leading to the normalization of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism and long-term stable TSH levels.