Resumen

PENA, Odalis María de la Guardia. Thymus diseases by excess and default. Rev Cubana Hematol Inmunol Hemoter [online]. 2019, vol.35, n.3  Epub 30-Nov-2019. ISSN 1561-2996.

The thymus is a cervicothoracic organ, odd and medium, located at the base of the neck and upper part of the mediastinum. Next to the bone marrow is one of the two primary organs of the immune system and exerts its function in neonates and children, fundamentally. It regresses after puberty, although some authors suggest that the involution can begin a little earlier, when the main lymphoid tissues are fully developed. It intervenes synergistically with other glands of internal secretion: thyroid, adrenal, pituitary gland, to develop substances necessary for the general development of the organism. It is a very sensitive organ to all influence. Like all the organs of the economy, the thymus presents diseases caused both by exaggerated growth, as by hypoplasias or atrophies. Among the former, the most common are thymic hyperplasia and thymoma and, among the latter, DiGeorge syndrome has been well characterized in international literature since the second half of the last century. However, in recent times immunologists speak of thymic hypoplasia as an entity that may or may not be associated with immunodeficiency states. These conditions are briefly described.

Palabras clave : thymus; thymic hypoplasia; thymic hyperplasia; thymoma; DiGeorge syndrome.

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