Intrathyroid Disturbances in Endemic and Sporadic non Toxic Goitre

Abstract

On the pathogenesis of the non toxic goitre very little is still known. Numerous factors have been considered, particularly iodine deficiency, goitrogenic factors in the diet, and congenital or acquired abnormalities of the hormonosynthesis. Since a few years, our group has been involved in detailed studies on the physiopathology of endemic goitre in the Uele, in the former Belgian Congo². Similar investigations have been performed on sporadic cases of non toxic goitre in Belgium. The purpose of this communication is to present some of the main results we obtained in the study of the intrathyroid disturbances which characterize both endemic and sporadic non toxic goitre.

This work was supported in part by a grant from the “Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique Médicale”, Belgium.