Numerous everyday medical procedures use ICMs including computed tomography (CT scans) and cardiac catheterization. "Although certain complications of ICM (e.g., contrast-induced nephropathy) have been extensively studied, there has been little examination of the effect of ICM on thyroid function," said the writers of the research paper.

The study was carried out by Dr Connie M. Rhee, MD from Harvard Medical School and associated hospitals in Massachusetts. The data used was gathered between 1990 and 2010, from patients that did not have hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism. They were compared with control subjects that had normal thyroid function, but did get exposure to ICM, so that the data could be assessed.

The investigation groups consisted of 178 patients presenting with incident hyperthyroidism and 213 incident hypothyroidism. It was found that incident hyperthyroidism was linked with procedures using ICM, whereas there was not an affiliation with hypothyroidism.

It was said "In summary, these data support association between ICM exposure and incident hyperthyroidism, incident overt hyperthyroidism and incident overt hypothyroidism." Researchers conclusion was, "Given the pervasive use of ICM in contemporary practice and the known sequelae of thyroid functional derangements, further studies are needed to confirm and evaluate generalizability of these findings, to establish causality and to explore mechanisms."

Dr Elizabeth Pearce, MD M.Sc., from the Boston University of Medicine commented about iodine induced thyroid dysfunction on Dr Rhee’ findings with: "Describe significant associations between contrast exposure and the development of hyperthyroidism. While no overall association exists between contrast exposure and all forms of hypothyroidism, an association was noted when cases were restricted to those with overt hypothyroidism. “These data represent an important contribution to our knowledge about a clinically relevant and understudied area." also Dr Pearce wrote, "Rhee et al have demonstrated that a relatively large proportion of individuals who developed iodine-induced thyroid dysfunction were not known to have underlying risk factors. Therefore, patients who may be particularly unable to tolerate thyroid dysfunction, such as those with underlying unstable cardiovascular disease, are also good candidates for monitoring of thyroid function after iodine exposure.”

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