Euthyroid Sick Syndrome- Treating Acute and Chronically Ill Patients

Imagine for a moment if there was a laboratory test that may alert you to increased mortality risk or diminished prognosis for a patient that is either acutely or chronically ill.

Well, there is growing evidence that a patient’s thyroid profile offers additional critical insight. Euthyroid sick syndrome, also known as nonthyroidal illness syndrome, can easily be captured with thorough thyroid hormone testing.

We demystify the significant alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis observed in nearly 75 percent of hospitalized patients. Euthyroid sick syndrome presents in hospitalized patients with severe critical illness, calorie deprivation, and following significant surgeries. The most common hormone pattern in sick euthyroid syndrome is low total T3 and free T3 levels accompanied by normal T4 and thyroid-stimulating hormone levels (TSH). I have documented and will share a clinical case in the outpatient setting with patients as young as seven years old.

This syndrome emphasizes the importance of measuring T3 thyroid hormone as a foundational tool and cornerstone of functional medicine and remembering that there are also T3 hormone receptors in the mitochondria.

Join me in a deep dive into thyroid hormone regulation, unique and novel clinical insights, including how the endocannabinoid system plays a role in stress adaptive response.

Learning Objectives:

• Variables that impact T4 to T3 conversion such as toxins, inflammation, nutrient status, and stress
• The interplay between Mitochondrial Function and Thyroid Hormone Status
• Mitochondrial Energetics and Immune Competence
• Nutrient Deficits/Insufficiencies in Acute and Critically Ill that Impact Thyroid Function
• Environmental Pollutants as Toxic Variables that Contribute to Thyroid Dysfunction

All attendees will leave with clinical pearls that are rarely discussed, even in functional medicine.

Dr. Chris Meletis, ND​

Dr. Chris Meletis is an educator, international author, and lecturer. His personal mission is “Changing America’s Health One Person at a Time.” Dr. Meletis has authored 17 books and over 200 national scientific articles in journals including Natural Health, Alternative and Complementary Therapies, Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, Life Extension, and Natural Pharmacy.​

Dr. Meletis served as Dean of Naturopathic Medicine and Chief Medical Officer for 7 years for the National College of Naturopathic Medicine (now the National University of Natural Medicine). He was awarded the 2003 Physician of the Year by the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians. He has a deep passion for helping the underprivileged and spearheaded the creation of 16 free natural medicine healthcare clinics in the Portland metropolitan area of Oregon. ​

Dr. Meletis serves as a consultant to US BioTek on the clinical application of its laboratory tests. The views expressed are his own.