Endothelial hemostatic properties in diffuse toxic goiter

Abstract

Changes in endothelial functional activity and lesion were studied in 38patients with diffuse toxic goiter (DTG) in the presence of thyrotoxicosis. There was an increase in CD4/CD8 ratios and the count of cells carrying CD⁺ and HLA-DRA. The blood levels of tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) and IL-8 were also significantly higher in thyrotoxicosis than those at remission. There was a significant correlation between the blood levels of thyroid hormones and the higher blood concentration of PAI-1 and a negative correlation with the content of PAI-1, which is indicative of an increase in the blood fibrinolytic potential. There was a considerable rise in the count of circulating endotheliocytes in hyperthyroidism, which was associated with enhanced endothe- liocytic lesion due to the development of immunopathological changes and to the higher blood levels of thyroid hormones. The changes in the blood levels of t-PA, PAI-1, and circulating endotheliocytes may be used as markers of the severity of endothelial lesion, in characterizing the activity of an immunopathological process, and in predicting the development of vascular diseases in DTG.