Histological pattern in immunological thyroid disease patients at moi teaching and referral hospital (mtrh), western kenya

Abstract

Problem statement: There are many thyroid pathologies in western Kenya but their morphological changes have not been reported in autoimmune thyroid disorders. Study population: Three hundred and eighty eight patients were studied between Jan 2008 to Dec 2011. Objectives: To describe the histological patterns in immunological thyroid diseases patients at MTRH, western Kenya. Methodology: 388 patients with thyroid pathologies had thyroidectomy and histological diagnosis done. Under light microscopy, sections were examined to determine whether thyroid follicles were present in the tissues. The retrospectively collected data was analyzed using STATA version 10 SE. The results were presented in form of plates, tables, and charts. Results: Among the histological diseases, colloid goitre was the most prevalent in all the age groups. Across the age groups, ages 30-39 & 40-49 bore the greatest burden of thyroiditis, thyroid carcinoma, thyroid adenoma and colloid goitre. Similarly, colloid goitre was the most prevalent among the male as well as among the female patients. The median age of the subjects was 40 (33-50). There was no significant difference (p=0.154) in age between the males and the females. Conclusion: Histological examination of the thyroid gland combined with measurement of plasma thyroid autoantibodies levels could be used for evaluation of immunological thyroid disease. The prevalence of immunological thyroid disease is higher than the reported prevalence in Kenya.