Pharmacodynamic Effects of Beta-Adrenergic Receptor Blockade in Patients with Hyperthyroidism *

Abstract

The interrelationships of thyroid hormone, the adrenal medulla, and the sympathetic nervous sys- tem have been recognized since the early part of the present century (1-4). More recent studies of experimental hyperthyroidism by Brewster, Isaacs, Osgood, and King (5) supported the hy- pothesis that the sympathetic nervous system may be responsible for the metabolic and hemodynamic changes associated with the hypermetabolic state, since the alterations induced by thyroid feeding could be reversed by epidural block.