Test Your Medicine Knowledge (Medicine MCQ)




The correct answer is D (levothyroxine)

Radioactive iodine therapy (RAI) is the most commonly used therapy for Graves disease.  Radioactive iodine may also be also used to treat some patients with papillary or follicular thyroid cancer after thyroidectomy.

This treatment is considered effective because the thyroid cells are the main cells in the body that absorb iodine. When the thyroid cells absorb the radioactive iodine, the cells are destroyed (ablation).

When patients receive RAI, hypothyroidism may ensue in the first year. If it persists for longer than 2 months, permanent hypothyroidism is likely and replacement with levothyroxine (T4) should be initiated.

The absolute contraindication for radioiodine is pregnancy.


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