Wolff-Chaikoff effect

All together this is known as the Wolff-Chaikoff effect.

Temporary hypothyroidism can be due to the Wolff-Chaikoff effect.

The Wolff-Chaikoff effect also explains the hypothyroidism produced in some patients by several iodine-containing drugs, including amiodarone.

The Wolff-Chaikoff effect is also part of the mechanism for the use of potassium iodide in nuclear emergencies.

The Wolff-Chaikoff effect can be used as a treatment principle against hyperthyroidism (especially thyroid storm) by infusion of a large amount of iodine to suppress the thyroid gland.

Six mg of iodide a day can be used to treat patients with hyperthyroidism due to its ability to inhibit the organification process in thyroid hormone synthesis, the so-called Wolff-Chaikoff Effect.

The Wolff-Chaikoff effect lasts several days (around 10 days), after which it is followed by an "escape phenomenon", which is described by resumption of normal organification of iodine and normal thyroid peroxidase function.

It was also used at one time as a first line treatment for hyperthyroidism, as the administration of pharmacologic amounts of iodine leads to temporary inhibition of iodine organification in the thyroid gland, a phenomenon called the Wolff-Chaikoff effect.

The Wolff-Chaikoff effect, discovered by Drs. Jan Wolff and Israel Lyon Chaikoff at the University of California in 1948, is a reduction in thyroid hormone levels caused by ingestion of a large amount of iodine.

In some ways the Jod-Basedow phenomenon is the opposite of the Wolff-Chaikoff effect, which refers to the short period of thyroid-hormone suppression which happens in normal persons and in persons with thyroid disease, when comparatively large quantities of iodine or iodide are ingested.

However, unlike the Wolff-Chaikoff effect, the Jod-Basedow effect does not occur in persons with normal thyroid glands, as thyroid hormone synthesis and release in normal persons is controlled by pituitary TSH secretion, which does not allow hyperthyroidism when extra iodine is ingested.

There is reason for caution with prescribing the ingestion of high doses of potassium iodide and iodate, as their unnecessary use can cause conditions such as the Jod-Basedow phenomena, and the Wolff-Chaikoff effect, trigger and/or worsen hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, and ultimately cause temporary or even permanent thyroid conditions.