Background: Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) is one of the countries of Southeast Europe with the lack of data about chronic autoimmune thyroid diseases (CAITD) epidemiology. Objective: This research aimed to assess incidence of CAITD in the Tuzla Canton of B&H during a 6-year period (2015–2020). Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 82,000 hospital records of inpatients and outpatients with possible thyroid symptoms residing in Tuzla Canton of B&H (total of 445,028 inhabitants). The study included patients with laboratory and clinical proof of autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD). Incidence rates were calculated with age standardisation using European standard population. Trends in incidence were evaluated as moving three-year averages. Results: During the observed period, 1875 patients satisfied the diagnostic criteria for CAITD with male to female ratio of 1: 8.01. Median age of all cases was 46 years (interquartile range: 31 to 61) and women and men were on average the same age at the time of diagnosis. The overall standardized incidence was found to be 71.25 per 105 (%95 CI=63.36–79.15). The overall standardized incidence in men was 16.25 per 105 and 123.74 per 105 in women. In the end of the observed period, AITD prevalence was 427.52 per 105 (% 95 CI=408.17-446.87). Conclusion: There was a slight decline of incidence in our region during the observed period. This decrease might be the result of combination of various factors, mainly the Corona epidemics outbreak and emigration. On the basis of the lower incidence rate in the Tuzla Canton, one can assume that iodine prophylaxis carried out in order to eradicate goitre had satisfied expectations because there had not been any enormous increase in patients with AITD.

Objectives: The present study aimed to determine the voice outcomes before and after the administration of voice therapy in patients who suffered an injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve after undergoing thyroidectomy. Methods:The sample consisted of 26 patients (2 males and 24 females) aged between 18 and 80 years (m=55±12) who experienced injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve following thyroidectomy that was used to treat a thyroid gland disease. Subjective and objective parameters of the voice of the patients as well as its aerodynamic aspects were assessed upon the completion of the surgical procedure and before and after the implementation of voice therapy. Objective voice analysis was performed with the help of computer software viz. "Speech Training for Windows, Version 4.00 -Dr. Speech "and" EZ Voice Plus (TM) v. 2.0;" while GRBAS scale was used for subjective voice assessment. The subjects were followed for two years. The data so collected during this period was analyzed by implementing descriptive statistical parameters, Chi-square test, t-test and Wilcoxon test. Results:Patients with an injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve were found to have voice alterations in all vocal parameters of subjective voice assessment conducted using the GRBAS Scale. These alterations ranged from moderate to severe degree, which provided a high degree of roughness in the voice. Objective voice assessment parameter analysis showed a decrease in voice pitch, increase in shimmer, decrease in noise-to-harmonics ratio, decrease in maximum phonation time and a decrease in voiceless percentage. Overall, it was observed that there were significant differences in all parameters of subjective and objective voice assessment, before and after vocal therapy, except for variables regarding the noise-to-harmonics ratio and aerodynamic variable of the S/Z ratio, although, the results on these vocal parameters were better after voice therapy.

Background: Endocrine disrupting air pollutants such as sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), fine particle matter (PM 2.5 ), and ozone (O 3 ) can affect thyroid gland function on the level of synthesis, metabolism, and the action of its hormones. Objective: The aim of this study was to establish whether increased air pollution could contribute to an increased incidence of autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD). Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of the medical records of 82000 patients at the University Clinical Centre in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The target group of this study comprised a total of 174 patients from the Lukavac area. Daily data on concentrations of air pollutants were collected from the air quality monitoring station located in Lukavac. The study covered the period from 2015 to 2020. Results: The results of the monitoring confirmed the presence of air pollutants in concentrations above the permitted limits throughout the entire observed period. Concentrations of PM 2.5 , SO 2 , NO 2 , CO, and O 3 were in the range of 1.90–431.40 μg/m 3 , 3.60-620.50 μg/m 3 , 3.40-66.20 μg/m 3 , 48.00-7002.00 μg/m 3 , and 0.70-89.40 μg/m 3 , with means of 64.08 μg/m 3 , 77.48 μg/m 3 , 22.57 μg/m 3 , 1657.15 μg/m 3 , and 31.49 μg/m 3 , respectively. During the six-year period, 174 cases of AITD were registered, of which 150 (86.21%) were women and 24 (13.79%) men. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis was found in 33 patients (18.97%), whilst 141 patients (81.03%) were diagnosed with atrophic thyroiditis. The highest total incidence of autoimmune thyroiditis was recorded in 2017, when it reached 99.49, 95% CI. Conclusion: The effects of chronic exposure to a mixture of air pollutants on the function of the thyroid gland are still not sufficiently well-known, but the numerical tendency towards a higher incidence of AITD in this study, albeit without statistical significance (p>0.05), still underlines the need for additional research.

Malignant tumors of the thyroid gland account for about 1% of thenewly diagnosed malignant tumors each year, and their incidence inwomen is twice the incidence in men. According to the WHO classification (2004) thyroid tumors are divided into: carcinoma of the thyroid, adenoma and similar tumors, and other thyroid tumors which include: teratomas, angiosarcomas, paragangliomas and others, as well as primary lymphomas and plasmacytomas. Primary thyroid lymphomasare defined as lymphomas which originate in the thyroid gland. This study presents the case of a 68-year-old patient with a thyroid lymphoma, which caused compression of the airways. In the patientpresented there was reduced activity of the thyroid gland. The dominant symptoms were: breathing difficulties, hoarse voice and the enlargement of the thyroid. An ultrasound examination was performedbefore surgery on the neck, which showed a multinodular thyroid,with compromised and compressed trachea to the right and rear. Anemergency surgical procedure was performed to reduce the tumor.Pathohistological diagnosis confirmed diffuse large B cell lymphoma.The aim of the study was to present a patient with a thyroid lymphoma, who had previously not had any immunological changes to the gland,that is, she had not had any chronic lymphocyte thyroiditis, but due to the compressive syndrome it was necessary to perform an emergencysurgical procedure to reduce the tumor