Endocrine Abstracts

The study group consists of 159 cases of chronic autoimmune thyroiditis (CAT) (age =40.48±15.22 years; F/M=156/3) distributed in 3 groups after the morpho-functional criteria: CAT with goiter – 48.43% cases (F/M=77/0); atrophic CAT – 33.33% cases (F/M=52/1); asymptomatic CAT – 18.24% cases (F/M=27/2). The thyroid ultrasonography allowed the thyroid volume measurement and the evaluation of the parenchyma echogenicity. Most of the cases presented a moderate (39.62% cases) or a marked hypoecogenicity (55.35% cases). The assessment of the thyroid functional parameters (hormonal values) revealed: in the goitrous CAT: euthyroidism (20.78% cases), subclinical hypothyroidism (33.76% cases), clinical hypothyroidism (41.56% cases), thyrotoxicosis (3.90% patients); in the atrophic CAT: subclinical hypothyroidism (33.96% cases), clinical hypothyroidism (66.04% patients); in the asymptomatic CAT: euthyroidism (100% cases). It was observed: significant high serum levels of the thyroid hormones (P<0.001) in patients with euthyroidism versus subclinical hypothyroidism; significant high serum TSH levels (P<0.001) in patients with clinical hypothyroidism versus subclinical hypothyroidism; significant high thyroid volumes (P<0.05) in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism versus clinical hypothyroidism.

The assessment of the humoral autoimmune parameters revealed significant high titres of the antithyroidperoxidase antibodies in the patients with goitrous CAT versus asymptomatic CAT (P<0.05). The patients with goitrous CAT presented, also, significant high titres of the antithyroglobulin antibodies versus those with atrophic CAT (P<0.05) and asymptomatic CAT (P<0.05). In patients with clinical hypothyroidism, the titres of the antithyroidperoxidase antibodies were significant superior (P<0.05) versus the patients with CAT with euthyroidism.