Prolonged hypothyroidism increases the risk of liver cancer

Research results by US scientists at the MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas show that women with prolonged hypothyroidism are at increased risk of liver cancer.

However, for men, the reduction of thyroid function is almost unrelated to this deadly disease.

Hypothyroidism is a phenomenon in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough hormone T4 and T3, which plays a role in controlling metabolism in the human body. Risk factors for hypothyroidism include those aged 50 or older, who have had radiation or X-ray radiation in the neck, obese or thyroid surgery.

Thyroid hormones are substances that contain iodine synthesized and secreted by the thyroid gland. This hormone is essential for normal metabolism and for the development of the mind and body, so the lack of these hormones will cause cretinism in children and adult edema.

In an experiment published in the journal "Hepatology", Dr. Manal M. Hassan and colleagues compared the occurrence and nature of thyroid disease in 420 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and a group of about 1,100 healthy people.

The team found that women who had a history of hypothyroidism for more than 10 years were 2.9 times more likely to develop liver cancer than women who did not experience these symptoms. If patients with diabetes and chronic hepatitis virus infection, the incidence of liver cancer will increase respectively 9.4 and 31.2 times.

However, according to scientists, it is necessary to continue research for different population groups in order to confirm the link between hypothyroidism symptoms and liver cancer.