Thymic Hypoplasia and Thyroid Dysfunction

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Abstract
Thymic hypoplasia and associated hypothyroidism in a child seemed to represent an embryologic fault involving the derivatives of the second and third pharyngeal pouches. The immunologic deficiency affected primarily the cellular system and was associated with an underdeveloped, undifferentiated thymus. Humoral immunity was generally not affected. Normal parathyroid glands were present. The thyroid gland was hypoplastic and fibrotic. The case provides another example of the relative independence of the humoral antibody system from the thymus. However, the presence of antibodies to thyroglobulin, detected by hemagglutination, also suggested autoimmunity as a possible cause of the thyroid disorder. The unusual age at onset for thyroiditis or autoimmune thyroid disease may be related to the developmental abnormality of thymus and the consequently disturbed immunologic balance.