[Functional disorders and immunological changes in the thyroid of children with acute and chronic glomerulonephritis]

Studies showed that equivocal shifts occur in the functional condition of the thyroid in children with various clinical syndromes of acute glomerulonephritis and clinical forms of chronic glomerulonephritis. For instance, signs of increased functional activity of the thyroid are encountered in children with the nephritic syndrome of the acute and hematuria form of chronic glomerulonephritis, and signs of diminished thyroid function occur in patients with the nephrotic syndrome of the acute and nephrotic form of chronic glomerulonephritis, evidence of which are the corresponding changes of the content of protein-bound iodine and thyroid hormones in the blood serum. No essential changes are revealed in the functional condition of the thyroid in other syndromes of acute and forms of chronic glomerulonephritis. At the same time, signs of immunopathological changes of the thyroid are revealed in patients with various syndromes of acute and forms of chronic glomerulonephritis; these are manifested by the appearance of antithyroid antigens in the blood and increase of the neutrophil injuriousness index in the test with the antigen of this organ. The obtained data indicate that in planning complex therapy of children with glomerulonephritis due regard should be given to involvement of the thyroid in the pathological process and the character of its functional disorders in concrete clinical syndromes of acute and clinical forms of chronic glomerulonephritis.