Thyroid volumes and serum VEGF levels in dyslipidemic patients: effects of statin treatment

Kadriye Aydin,Murat Tuncel,Neşe Çinar,Aydan Usman,Meltem Çağlar,Şafak Akin,Firuzan Firat,Alper Gürlek,Cafer Balci,Neşe Ersöz Gülçeli̇k

doi:10.3906/sag-1708-106

Abstract

Background/aim Defective vascularization may be important in thyroid nodular disease. In this study, we aimed to investigate serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels in dyslipidemic patients with thyroid nodules, as well as the effects of statin therapy.Materials and methods The study included 37 dyslipidemic patients with thyroid nodules and 32 dyslipidemic patients without thyroid nodules. Anthropometry, serum VEGF levels, biochemical parameters, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (fT3) and free thyroxine (fT4) levels, and thyroid sonography were determined before and after 6 months of statin therapy. ResultsPatients with and without thyroid nodules had similar metabolic parameters. Serum VEGF levels did not differ between the groups. In patients with nodules, VEGF levels remained unchanged (P = 0.931) after statin therapy. However, serum VEGF levels were lowered by statin treatment in patients without nodules (P = 0.030). Statin therapy resulted in a decrease in the dominant thyroid nodule volume. The changes in thyroid volume and dominant thyroid nodule volume were not correlated with changes in VEGF, body mass index, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR).Conclusion Although statin treatment decreases serum VEGF levels in dyslipidemic patients without thyroid nodules, it has no lowering effect on serum VEGF levels in patients with thyroid nodules. The decrease in thyroid nodule volume with statin treatment was associated with neither metabolic parameters nor serum VEGF levels.

Highlights

Thyroid hormones appear to serve as a general metabolic controller coordinating many metabolic processes; the association of metabolic syndrome and its components with thyroid function and nodule formation is an intriguing area of research in thyroidology [1,2,3]
The changes in thyroid volume and dominant thyroid nodule volume were not correlated with changes in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), body mass index, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR)
A total of 69 patients (21 males, 48 females) with dyslipidemia were included in the study; 43 patients were treated with atorvastatin and the remaining 26 patients were treated with rosuvastatin

Summary

Introduction

Thyroid hormones appear to serve as a general metabolic controller coordinating many metabolic processes; the association of metabolic syndrome and its components with thyroid function and nodule formation is an intriguing area of research in thyroidology [1,2,3]. In a number of studies, increased thyroid volume and nodularity were shown to be associated with metabolic syndrome parameters, including dyslipidemia [1,2,3]. Vascularization is an important feature of tumor growth and might promote the progression of thyroid nodules. Wang et al demonstrated that insulin resistance and hyperglycemia resulted in increased intranodular vascularization, which might contribute to the growth and progression of nodules [4]. AYDIN et al / Turk J Med Sci that there was no VEGF expression in normal thyroid tissue, slightly positive expression in benign follicular tumors, and increased expression in differentiated thyroid cancers; they suggested that VEGF expression reflects both transformation and differentiation states of thyroid tumors [13]

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