MRCP UK EXAMINATIONS

ABDOMINAL

GENERALISED LYMPHADENOPATHY

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
How is the thymus effected by age?
A
The older you get the bigger it gets.
B
The older you get the smaller it gets.
C
It gets larger during your early years, then starts getting smaller as you get older.
D
Age has no effects on age
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -The thymus is special in that, unlike most organs, it is at its largest in children. Once you reach puberty, the thymus starts to slowly shrink and become replaced by fat. By age 75, the thymus is little more than fatty tissue. Fortunately, the thymus produces all of your T cells by the time you reach puberty.

Detailed explanation-2: -The effect that age has on the size of the thymus is that b) The thymus initially increases in size then decreases in size from adolescence through old age. The thymus is largest during the teenage years, and begins a steady decline in size afterwards. Eventually, the thymus becomes replaced completely by fatty tissue.

Detailed explanation-3: -The thymus gland is most active during childhood. Your thymus actually starts making T-cells before you’re born. It keeps producing T-cells and you have all the T-cells you need by the time you reach puberty. After puberty, your thymus gland slowly starts to decrease in size and is replaced by fat.

Detailed explanation-4: -Acquired thymic hyperplasia is usually a rebound phenomenon in patients who have undergone chemotherapy, have had thermal burns, cardiac surgery, or after discontinuation of oral steroids as the thymus is susceptible to fluctuations in corticosteroids.

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