[Peculiarities of the ENT-organ condition in hypothyroidism].

Background: The interrelationship of thyroid pathology and ENT organs is one of the least studied aspects of iodine deficiency diseases. Diseases of this localization are distinguished by a variety of their causes, high prevalence, a tendency to prolonged and chronic process, resistance to drug therapy and a negative effect on the quality of life of patients.
Aim: To study the state of ENT organs in hypothyroidism in the iodine-deficient region of Eastern Siberia (Irkutsk Region).
Material and Methods: The main group consisted of 302 patients with hypothyroidism, and the control group - 116 people without thyroid pathology. All patients who participated in the study were on replacement therapy (Levothyroxin). An objective study of the ENT organs was performed using an endoscope and a microscope. The SF-36 questionnaire was used to study the indicators of quality of life. A questionnaire was used to assess the symptoms of rhinitis, which provided clarification of the severity of symptoms on a visual analogue scale.
Results: Among patients with thyroid dysfunction, various changes characteristic of chronic pathology of the pharynx, larynx, and ear were found with almost the same frequency as among those examined without thyroid pathology. Chronic rhinitis in hypothyroidism is characterized by manifest edematous-hypertrophic changes in the turbinate, intense hyperemia of the nasal mucosa, the presence in the nasal passages of viscous, thick mucous discharge. The most important integral indicators of health components are physical (PH) and psychological (MH) patients with chronic rhinitis were reduced (50.6±1.96 and 53.0±2.08 respectively).
Conclusion: The symptoms of rhinitis are leading in the structure of the pathology of the upper respiratory tract in hypothyroidism and have a significant negative impact on the patient's quality of life indicators.