Health Consequences of Thymus Removal in Adults.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The function of the thymus in human adults is unclear, and routine removal of the thymus is performed in a variety of surgical procedures. We hypothesized that the adult thymus is needed to sustain immune competence and overall health.

Methods

We evaluated the risk of death, cancer, and autoimmune disease among adult patients who had undergone thymectomy as compared with demographically matched controls who had undergone similar cardiothoracic surgery without thymectomy. T-cell production and plasma cytokine levels were also compared in a subgroup of patients.

Results

After exclusions, 1420 patients who had undergone thymectomy and 6021 controls were included in the study; 1146 of the patients who had undergone thymectomy had a matched control and were incl

SUBMITTER: Kooshesh KA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10557034 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature