Kupriyanova L. Pathomorphology of the thymus in fetuses from mothers with type 1 diabetes mellitus

The influence of type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) in the mother on the morphofunctional peculiarities of the fetal thymus with respect to the stage of the mother's disease and fetus anthropometry findings was investigated with the purpose to reveal main causes of immunopathy development in the future.The autopsy material included 99 cases of antenatal (without the signs of maceration) and intranatal fetal death. The following methods were used to investigate the thymus morphofunctional peculiarities: organometry, histology, histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, morphometry and statistical analysis.The revealed pathomorphological peculiarities of the fetal thymus result from metabolic and vascular disorders in the mother's organism and vary depending on the mother's disease severity. Irrespective of the mother's disease severity, specific changes in the fetal thymus from the mothers with type 1 DM are collagen formation disturbance in the vascular and stromal components of the thymus; disorders of maturation, proliferation, and T-lymphocyte differentiation; immaturity of lymphoid component in the fetal thymus from mothers with type 1 DM; reduction of thymalin-producing activity; disturbance of interleukin-producing activity of the fetal thymus from mothers with type 1 DM; increase of endothelin producing function of both arteries and veins; increase of apoptosis as a sign of antigenic stimulation characteristic for type 1 DM.The obtained findings prove the necessity of prevention, timely and adequate treatment as well as close attention to risk groups among the children from mothers with type 1 DM and working out the methods of prevention of vascular and metabolic manifestations in fetuses from mother with type 1 DM.