Serum and tissue mucoproteins and sialic acid in thyroid diseases

ABSTRACT

To find the correlation coefficient of serum mucoproteins and sialic acid to thyroid tissue in thyroid diseases. The study was carried out at J.P.M.C, Karachi. A total of twenty four thyroid patients and twenty normal subjects were studied. The cases were divided into non toxic goiter fourteen, and toxic goiter ten on the basis of clinical and physical examination, thyroid scanning and hormone analysis. Thyroid hormones were estimated in serum. Mucoproteins and sialic acid were estimated in serum as well as in thyroid tissue. Estimations of thyroid hormones and thyroxine binding globulin [T.B.G.] are useful clinically to evaluate the functions status and diagnosis of different thyroid disorders. Thyroid tissue is mainly composed of glycoprotein, thyroglobulin, and different studies showed that serum glycoprotein fractions varied in different thyroid diseases. Significantly increased levels of T[4] were observed in toxic goiter group. The levels of TBG was significantly increased in non toxic goiter, toxic goiter patients while T[4]/TBG ratio was significantly decreased in non toxic goiter. Coefficient correlation [r] of serum to tissue mucoproteins shows an inverse relationship in non toxic goiter and toxic goiter patients. In non toxic goiter and toxic goiter patients the serum sialic acid levels to tissue sialic acid levels also shows an inverse relationship. Correlation coefficient analysis showed an inverse relationship of serum mucoproteins and sialic acid to thyroid tissue. It signifies that carbohydrate moieties are increased in the blood when the tissue are hyperactive and in the pathological state. It further concludes that thyrotoxic state might be converted into nodular form even into cancerous form later on