2023-08-14 12:14:00
By Melanie Hoffmann, Medical Editor | Aug 14, 2023 at 2:14 p.m
Of course, the said organ is not completely useless. In childhood and adolescence, it even fulfills a very important function. But after that it ceases its activity and shrinks. Therefore, from then on it is considered rather superfluous and useless for adults. But that seems to be a mistake, as a recent study shows. FITBOOK medicine editor explains the results.
Similar to the appendix, which can (and must) simply be removed in the event of an infection, conventional medicine often assumes that the thymus is useless in adults. For the treatment of certain diseases, the gland can therefore be removed without any problems like the appendix. However, this procedure may rob the body of an important protective function. Because a US study has now come to the conclusion that the thymus can protect against cancer – and the removal of the organ could shorten life.
The function of the thymus
The thymus, or thymus gland, is located in the breastbone and is important for the development of the immune system. Photo: Getty Images
The thymus (also thymus gland or sweetbread) is a small organ located in the chest behind the breastbone. The gland is an important part of the immune system. This matures in the bone marrow and thymus. In the thymus, the T cells learn to distinguish foreign from endogenous antigens and to react accordingly to foreign cells. This is important so that the body can fight bacteria and viruses without attacking the body’s own cells. In other words, the thymus plays an important role in building a healthy immune system and preventing the development of autoimmune diseases.
The small organ behind the breastbone is already active before birth, but its function decreases after sexual maturity. The thymus shrinks and the tissue changes. Now the spleen and lymph nodes take over its functions.1
Difference between a “weak immune system” and a medically “real” immune deficiency
People who get frequent colds may say they have a weak immune system. According to a FITBOOK expert, however, this subjective assessment must be clearly distinguished from a medical immune deficiency.
Doctors understand an immune deficiency to be disorders in which the T-helper cells – i.e. essential “switching points in the immune system” – actually no longer work properly. This was explained to us in an earlier post by the Frechen general practitioner dr medical Michael Feld. Such an immune deficiency can be associated with certain diseases. But sometimes it is also due to hereditary defects.
The expression “weak immune system”, on the other hand, is less medical than one that laypeople use from a subjective point of view. What could be hidden behind it, however, are local weaknesses in the immune system. Possible causes for this can be a predisposition or certain habits (e.g. smoking makes you more susceptible to respiratory diseases). Gut health also plays a role; an earlier event in the patient’s medical history may also have an influence.
Why is the organ removed?
In Germany, for example, doctors and patients decide to have the thymus removed if it is affected by tumors. This decision can also be made in the case of benign tumors in order to prevent malignant changes. Surgical removal of the thymus gland (thymectomy) can also be part of the treatment for the autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis (MG).2,3
Also interesting: Symptoms and treatment of the autoimmune disease Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
US researchers are getting to the bottom of the benefits of the thymus gland
In the United States, the situation is similar for thymectomy.4 In their study, the researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School describe the frequency as follows: “Routine removal of the thymus is performed in various surgical procedures.” On this basis, wanted they are now finding out if the thymus is in fact as useless in adults as is widely believed. Or whether “the adult thymus is required for the maintenance of immune competence and general health.”5
course of the study
To do this, the scientists used heart surgery data to examine the risk of death, cancer and autoimmune diseases in adult patients who had their thymus removed compared to patients who had undergone a similar procedure without a thymectomy. In a subgroup of patients, the researchers also compared T-cell production and plasma cytokine levels. The study group consisted of 1146 patients (thymectomy), while the control group included (no thymectomy).
all-cause mortality
The result of the analysis: In patients who no longer had a thymus, the probability of dying within five years after the thymectomy was twice as high as in people in the control group. This result remained the same even after taking into account factors such as gender, age, cases of thymus cancer, postoperative infections or the occurrence of said autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis.
death due to cancer
In addition, the risk of developing cancer within five years was also twice as high in patients without a thymus compared to patients who did not have a thymectomy.
risk of autoimmune diseases
In the subgroup in which the researchers also compared T cell production and plasma cytokine levels, there was less new production of T lymphocytes. They also measured higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the blood. From this, the scientists conclude that the absence of the thymus could also increase the risk of autoimmune diseases.
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So thymus is more important for adults than you think?
“This study shows how important the thymus is in maintaining adult health,” explains David Scadden of Massachusetts General Hospital in a statement from The Harvard Gazette appears to be that it protects against the development of cancer.”
While these new findings may lay the groundwork for a new understanding of the role of the thymus gland in adulthood, more research is needed to deepen this. Not least because the current study was an observational study that cannot prove any causal relationships.
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