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POSTMORTEM OBSERVATIONS ON THE THYROID IN ATHEROSCLEROSIS
Author(s) -
Gáspár István A.
Publication year - 1968
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1968.tb01278.x
Subject(s) - medicine , thyroid , pathological , pathology , atrophy , thyroiditis , fibrosis , desquamation , thyroid function , endocrinology , gastroenterology
A bstract In this preliminary study, an attempt was made to correlate atherosclerotic vascular changes with pathological changes in the thyroid observed post mortem in 55 patients (chiefly in the 61 to 90 year age bracket) who died of atherosclerotic disease of the coronary or other arteries. In the 55 cases, 71 per cent of the thyroids were smaller than normal, weighing from 2 to 18 grams, and 29 per cent were in the accepted normal range of 20 to 40 grams. For the purposes of this study, a small thyroid weight was considered significant only when it was 10 grams or less. The histological picture was more revealing. In one group of 24 patients the thyroids showed varying degrees of chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, fibrosis and degenerative changes strongly indicative of impaired thyroid function. In another group of 31 patients the thyroids did not show any thyroiditis but there were several pathological changes such as great variation in the size of the acini, a reduction in their total number, atrophy of the acini, thinning and flattening of the epithelium with degeneration, swelling and desquamation of the cells, thick colloid in the follicles, and perifollicular fibrosis. The 4 patients who served as controls (age range, 51 to 76 years) showed no atherosclerosis or only slight changes and their thyroid glands were practically normal. There appeared to be a correlation between thyroid deficiency and atherosclerosis. Therefore, treatment of atherosclerosis with thyroid seems rational. If it prevents the development of hypothyroidism when given early in the course of atherosclerosis, it may help to reverse the high death rate from atherosclerotic cardiac and vascular disease.