[STUDY OF THE THYMUS IN PATIENTS WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA]

The investigation was undertaken to study the thymus in healthy individuals and patients with asthma. Ninety-five asthmatic patients (34 men and 61 women) aged 15 to 70 years were examined. The thymus was examined by Doppler ultrasonography. In healthy individuals aged 19 to 58 years (mean age 33 years), the thymus weighed from 1.4 to 5.5 g; its mean weight was 3.2 ± 0.4 g. In the asthmatic patients, the sizes of the thymus were on an average increased: its length was up to 35.6 ± 0.9 mm (20.8 ± 1.6 mm in healthy individuals); the width was up to 33.2 ± 0.8 mm (19.7 ± 1.7 mm in healthy individuals); the anteroposterior size was up to 18.7 ± 0.8 mm (14.6 ± 1.2 mm in healthy individuals). The mean weight of the thymus was as high as 12.2 ± 1.0 g, i.e. its mass was 4 times greater than that in the healthy individuals from the control group.