Influence of Meteorological Factors and Photoperiods on the Functional Activity of the Pituitary-Thyroid Axis in Men of the European North of Russia

Abstract

It is known that people living in high latitudes are susceptible to accelerated ageing and the development of age-related diseases. Therefore, studying adaptation mechanisms triggered by the effects of various climatic, geographical and meteorological factors both in the local Russian and indigenous populations is of particular interest. The purpose of this article was to identify the meteorological and daylight conditions affecting the function of the pituitary-thyroid axis in the rural dwellers and nomadic indigenous population of the European North (western sector of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation). Materials and methods. A total of 152 men aged 22–59 years participated in the prospective study during the periods of minimum and increasing daylight hours: rural Russian (26 and 59 people, respectively), settled indigenous (16 and 18 people) and nomadic indigenous (8 and 23 people) populations of the European North of Russia. Correlations between the parameters of the pituitary-thyroid axis and atmospheric temperature, humidity, atmospheric air pressure and daylight duration were estimated using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. Results. We established positive correlations of daytime length with thyroglobulin antibodies in nomadic indigenous people and with anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies in the Russian population, as well as negative correlations of daytime length with thyroxine levels in the nomads and with free triiodothyronine levels in sedentary indigenous people. In addition, negative correlations were established between atmospheric temperature and thyroxine concentrations in nomadic indigenous people and local Russians, as well as between relative humidity and thyroxine levels in local Russians; positive correlations were identified between atmospheric pressure and thyroxine and thyroid stimulating hormone concentrations in the nomadic indigenous people and between atmospheric pressure and thyroxine and thyroglobulin levels in local Russians. Taking into account the data obtained earlier, we can conclude that short daylight hours combined with low temperatures and low level of urbanization can have a negative effect on the activity of the pituitary-thyroid axis in the nomadic and rural populations of the Russian Arctic than in urban dwellers.

Funding. The research was funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (state assignment of N. Laverov Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (FECIAR UrB RAS) no. FUUW-2025-0017) and performed using the equipment of the Centre for Shared Use of Scientific Equipment “Critical Technologies of the Russian Federation in the Field of Environmental Safety of the Arctic” of FECIAR UrB RAS.