[The morphofunctional state of the thyroid in bronchial asthma patients]

Altogether 275 patients with bronchial asthma (BA) were examined for hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid function by means of clinico-radionuclide and histomorphological studies with measurements in blood of thyrotropin, triiodothyronine, thyroxine, thyroxine-binding globulin, thyroxine efficacy ratio and cholesterol as well as of 131I absorption by the thyroid. Thyroid function was established to undergo biphasic changes. In patients with mild BA, thyroid function was activated in the paroxysmal period. Provided the disease progressed, the thyroid developed hypofunction, which was confirmed by the histomorphological findings. The rifothyronine test enabled one to establish that patients with grave BA given prednisolone and dexamethasone for a long time developed primary and secondary hypothyrosis, respectively.