The effects of low thyroid hormone levels on the formation of stress gastritis: an experimental study on the rats.
BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of low circulating thyroid hormone levels on the development of acute stress gastritis in rats.


METHODS
Sixty adult Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into six groups: Control group, surgically thyroidectomized group, stressed group, surgically thyroidectomized + stressed group, surgically thyroidectomized + T4 + stressed group, and surgically thyroidectomized + T3 + stressed group. Damage to the gastric mucosa was studied using millimetric acetate papers on photographs enlarged 3.5 times and the number and the size of the lesions was recorded.


RESULTS
Acute stress gastritis was significantly increased in stress + surgically thyroidectomized rats as compared to rats that were only put under stress (group III) (stress gastritis scores; group IV: 44, group III: 16, p<0.001). The stress gastritis score in group VI was significantly decreased compared to rats in group IV (stress gastritis scores; group VI: 10, group IV: 44, p<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Low circulating thyroid hormone levels in rats increased the development of stress gastritis. This effect could be prevented by thyroid hormone replacement therapy.
Department of General Surgery, Gaziantep University, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep, Turkey.
Göktürk
G
Maralcan
Hayri
H
Erkol
Zerrin
Z
Erkol
Fatih
F
Yanar
Rebecca
R
Plevin
D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005067:Euthyroid Sick Syndromes / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications; D005756:Gastritis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000097:blood
D014284:Triiodothyronine; D013974:Thyroxine