Spiro metric Tests and Thyroid Hormone Concentrations in sample of Iraqi Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Abstract

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a preventable disease with some significant extra pulmonary effects that may contribute to the severity in individual patients.. The systemic manifestations  of  COPD  include  a number of endocrine disorders , such  as  those  involving the pituitary, the thyroid , the gonads, the adrenals  and  the pancreas.  The  mechanisms  by which COPD  alters  endocrine function are incompletely understood  but likely involve  hypoxemia , hypercapnia , systemic inflammation and  glucocorticoid  administration.

Objective:  To evaluate the relationship between pulmonary function tests and thyroid gland function in patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Subjects and Methods:  Cross  sectional  study   was  done  in  Baghdad teaching hospital  from  April 2012  to October  2012  in  respiratory  outpatient. Thirty eight  patients  were  included  in  the study (36 male  and  2 females) who  had  stable  COPD ,  thyroid function tests and FEV1%  were  done  to all of  them.  Patients  were  classified  into four  groups  according  to GOLD criteria: mild  COPD ( > 80) FEV1% , moderate  (80 – 50)%,  severe ( 50 – 30)% and  very severe < 30%.

Results: one  patient   has  decreased  level   of  TSH , one patient has decreased T3 hormone and one patient has increased free T3 hormone level, all other  patient  had  normal  thyroid  hormones  levels. The results of study showed no significant changes in thyroid hormones concentrations with COPD and its severity.

Conclusion:  We found no significant changes in thyroid hormones in patients with COPD, and any changes that occur in TFT in these patients are may be due to other causes than COPD.