[Evaluation of thyroid function in a group of over-eighty year-old people]. / Valutazione della funzionalità tiroidea in un gruppo di ultraottantenni.

AIM: A number of studies has shown that during aging thyroid presents some structural changes, whilst no data agree about secretory activity. The aim of the present study was to evaluate thyroid function in a group of healthy over-80 years old people vs a group of young subjects. METHODS: This study was performed on 48 old people, 33 women (68.75%) and 15 men (31.25%), mean age 86.38+/-5.20 years old and 43 young subjects, mean age 33.35+/-3.75 years old; all of them were euthyroid and were not affected with any acute or chronic diseases and did not take any drugs which could interfere with thyroid function. A blood sample was taken from each patient, for dosing TT3, TT4, FT3, FT4, TSH, TgAb, TPOAb. RESULTS: The results of the present study show low serum levels of TT3 in healthy over-80 year old people compared to young people, even if serum levels of TT4, FT3, FT4, TSH have no significant changes. CONCLUSIONS: Functional reduction in thyroid activity during aging has not to be considered responsible for senile involution; it is more appropriate to define it as the expression of a metabolic slow down in the elderly.

Helicobacter pylori-specific IgG in chronic haemodialysis patients: relationship of hypergastrinaemia to positive serology.

BACKGROUND: Chronic haemodialysis (HD) patients frequently suffer from dyspeptic symptoms and hypergastrinaemia is a common finding in these patients. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is associated with dyspepsia and hypergastrinaemia. METHODS: The aim of this study was to determine whether H. pylori is frequently found in HD patients and to explore the relationship of H. pylori with dyspeptic symptoms and/or hypergastrinaemia in these patients. Serum H. pylori specific IgG were measured by an in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (sensitivity and specificity is 97% and 91% respectively) in 103 chronic HD patients. The patients (53 M, 50 F, mean age f60 +/- 13 years) completed a questionnaire exploring the type, frequency and intensity of dyspeptic symptoms. Fasting plasma gastrin levels were also measured. Serum and plasma samples from 103 hospital patients matched for age, sex and dyspepsia were use as controls. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in terms of serum H. pylori IgG between HD patients and controls (0.977 +/- 0.295 vs 1.046 +/- 0.306 OD respectively). The prevalence of subjects with positive serology was relatively high in both groups, but did not differ between HD patients (73%) and controls (78%). Dyspepsia was reported in 72 (70%) cases. There was no relationship between presence (and grading) of dyspepsia or type of dyspeptic symptoms and H. pylori serology. In the HD group, patients seropositive for H pylori had a significantly higher gastrinaemia than those who were seronegative: 598 +/- 413 ng/ml vs 309 +/- 252 ng/ml (P < 0.0001). The relationship between seropositivity for H. pylori and hypergastrinaemia was significant (P = 0.00038), after adjustment by multiple regression analysis for sex, age, smoking, alcohol, months on dialysis, renal function, drugs, and dyspepsia. CONCLUSIONS: Data of this study suggest that H. pylori may play a role in contributing to hypergastrinaemia of HD patients.

Hypothyroidism in patients with thalassemia syndromes.

Sixty transfusion-dependent thalassemic patients were studied by simultaneous measurement of circulating thyroid hormones, basal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and TSH response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone with the aim of evaluating the frequency of hypothyroidism in such patients, and the relationship between hypothyroidism and compliance with treatment and iron overload. Thyroid failure was present in 31 of the 60 patients. A correlation was found between impairment of thyroid functions, duration of chronic hypoxia and the activities of various transaminases. The results of this study emphasize the importance of early evaluation of thyroid function in thalassemic patients and suggest that anemia and hypoxia may potentiate the toxicity of iron deposition in endocrine glands.