Thymic characteristics in patients with autoimmune diseases: a multicentre radiological observational study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Autoimmune diseases comprise a spectrum of illnesses stemming from a common etiology: the loss of self-tolerance. The organ crucial for the establishment and maintenance of central and peripheral tolerance, namely the thymus, has rarely been explored across these diseases.

Methods

In a multicentre radiological case-control study, we characterized the thymus in 16 prevalent autoimmune diseases using chest computed tomography (CT) images from patients and age- and sex-1:1 matched healthy controls. Participants underwent a routine CT examination, and baseline information on demographic, clinical, and potential risk factors was gathered at the time of enrollment. A semi-automatic algorithm was developed and employed for the analysis of thymic radiological characterist

SUBMITTER: Chang H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12270014 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature