Objective: To study transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) plasma concentrations in elderly patients with nonthyroidal illnesses (NTI).
Design: Case-control study.
Methods: We measured plasma concentrations of tri-iodothyronine (T3), reverse T3 (rT3), thyroxine (T4), free T3 (fT3) and free T4 (fT4) estimates, TSH, and TGF-beta1 in 48 elderly NTI patients consecutively admitted in our Division of Internal Medicine and Metabolic Diseases, and in 11 healthy age- and sex-matched controls.
Results: The data on thyroid hormones enabled us to identify three groups: Group A, subjects (8 patients) with T3 and fT3 levels comparable to those in controls: Group B, subjects (30 patients) with T3 and fT3 levels lower than controls but rT3 levels comparable to those of controls; Group C, subjects (10 patients) with T3 and fT3 levels lower than those of controls and higher rT3 levels. The patients of Group C showed higher plasma levels of TGF-beta1 compared with controls. Moreover, we found a positive correlation between TGF-beta1 and rT3 (rs = 0.38, P < 0.01) in the whole group of NTI patients.
Conclusions: Our data seem to confirm the hypothesis that TGF-beta1 could play a role in the pathogenesis of some modifications of thyroid function observed in patients with nonthyroidal illnesses.