A small gland of fatty tissue is located behind the sternum. It’s often considered ‘useless in adulthood’.
Recent retrospective studies, however, suggest that the thymus is not as disposable as experts once believed.
US researchers have found that removing the thymus increases your risk of dying later from any cause.
These individuals are also at increased risk for developing a variety of diseases Cancer.
The study was purely an observational one, so it could not prove that removing a certain substance would have any effect. ThymusDirectly causes cancer or other fatal diseases
Researchers are concerned about their findings. We don’t know enough to make a decision. The following are some arguments to help you understandWhen possible, preserving the Thymus should be a “clinical priority”.
Oncologist David Scadden: “We would never have expected the magnitude of risk.” Tell them to get on with itAnne Manning of the Harvard Gazette.
The thymus plays a crucial role in the development of the immune system during childhood. Patients can suffer from severe symptoms if the gland is removed too early. Reduced T-cells over timeIt is a white blood-cell type that fights disease and germs.
Kids without a thymus The following are some of the reasons why you should consider hiring someone else Have you ever noticed that?A reduced immune response to vaccination.
The thymus shrinks and produces fewer T cells for the body by the time someone reaches puberty. The thymus can be removed with no immediate damage, and since it is located in front of your heart, this organ is frequently removed during cardiothoracic surgeries.
Some patients may have a condition calledThymus cancer and chronic autoimmune diseases like myasthenia graveisThe gland may not always be a problem.
It can be a great help.
Researchers in Boston, using data from a state-run healthcare system, compared outcomes for patients who had undergone thymectomy surgery. They compared more than 6,000 individuals (controls) that did not have thymus removal with 1,146 individuals who had their thymus surgically removed.
The risk of death within five years for those who had a thymectomy was almost double that of controls, despite accounting for factors such as sex and age, race, cancers in the thymus or myasthenia graveis, as well as postoperative infections.
Within five years, cancer rates for patients who have had their thymuss removed are also double as high.
This cancer was also more aggressive than the control group and recurred more often after treatment.
It is not known why these associations occur, but scientists suspect a lack in thymus may interfere with the normal function of the immune system of adults.
The blood of a subset of study patients who underwent thymectomy revealed less diversity of T-cell receptors, which may have contributed to the development or progression of cancer and autoimmune diseases following surgery.
The authors of the study stated that “Together these findings support the role of the thymus in contributing to new T cell production and the maintenance of human health as an adult.” You can also find out more about the following:.
They say that their results strongly suggest the thymus has a vital role to play in maintaining our health.
The study was published by The New England Journal of Medicine.
