Alterations in thyroid function in patients with Trypanosoma brucei gambiense infection.

Few studies on the alterations in endocrine function during African trypanosomiasis in man have been reported in the literature, and these concem mainly disorders observed at the gonadotropic axis level (RIDET, 1953; EMEH & NDUKA, 1983; HUBLART er al., 1987). To our knowledge, the thyroid hormone balance has not been investigated, although certain clinical manifestations may be suggestive of thyroid deficiency. This study was carried out using the double-blind procedure on 10 male and 10 female Congolese patients with parasitologically confirmed trypanosomiasis before treatment, 18 of whom were in the second stage of the disease (over 5 cells per mm3 of cerebrospinal fluid). The patients were aged between 17 and 60 years (average 35 years). All subjects were clinically examined for symptoms of thyroid deficiency including physical and intellectual fatigue, sensation of excessive coldness, constipation, abnormal dry skin, hair loss, fragile nails, and oedema. Their general level of health was also assessed. The following basic thyroid hormone assays were carried out by radio-immunoassay: T4 (thyroxine, 3,5,3’,5‘ tetraiodothyronine), T3 (3,5,3’ triiodothyronine), free T3 (FT3), free T4 (FT4), rT3 (reverse T3 or 3,3’,5’ triiodothyronine) and TSH (thyrotropin). Twenty-one healthy controls (10 males and 11 females) of the same population and from the same locality aged between 20 and 52 years (average 30 years) were examined as controls. The results of the basic thyroid hormone assays are shown in the Table. The T3, F T 3 , T4, IT4 and rT3