Intensity of Depressive Symptoms and Disorders of Working Memory and Executive Functions in Hyperthyroidism in the Course of Graves’ Disease and Toxic Nodular Goitre

Abstract

Current data show an association between thyroid diseases and cognitive dysfunction and depression. Depression may affect the clinical picture and the course of thyroid diseases, while also certain correlations are seen between depression and an increased risk of the incidence of these diseases.

The aim of this study was tracing associations among depression and hyperthyroidism in the course of Graves’ disease and toxic nodular goitre in particular stages of the disease and frontal cognitive function.

Eighty persons (63 females and 17 males) with diagnosed hyperthyroidism, their age ranging between 18 and 55 years, were qualified into the study, fifty (50) of them with Graves’ disease and thirty (30) with toxic nodular goitre.

Following performed hormonal evaluations, patients with overt or subclinical hyperthyroidism were identified, together with patients in euthyroidism.

The control group included thirty-one (31) healthy volunteers, matched with the study group, regarding their age, sex and education.

In the evaluation of working memory and executive functions, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) was used, while Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was applied to determine the degree of depression symptoms.

The obtained results showed impairment of WCST performance in patients with Graves’ disease and with toxic nodular goitre. Any significant associations between the degree of depression symptoms and the efficiency of either working memory or executive functions were found.

Acknowledgements:

This research was supported by grant 502-16-683 Medical University of Lodz.