MORPHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF AGE-RELATED CHANGES IN THE THYROID GLAND
Abstract
Resume. The importance of the thyroid gland for the body's vital functions is difficult to overestimate. Due to the wide range of thyroid functions and morphological changes associated with various diseases, studying its structure and functions is of particular interest to morphologists and endocrinologists. The thyroid gland is the first endocrine gland to develop in human embryos. It originates from the primitive pharyngeal floor in the endoderm of the oral cavity. The thyroid gland is the earliest endocrine structure to appear during human development, and thyroid hormones are essential for proper development, particularly for the nervous system and heart, as well as normal growth and maturation of the skeleton. Keywords: thyroid gland, morphology, rat, postnatal ontogenesis, endocrinology.