Autoimmune Thyroid Disease and Autoimmune Rheumatic Disorders

• Published in: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences Vol. 1173; no. 1; pp. 211 - 216
• Main Authors: Lazúrová, Ivica, Benhatchi, Karim, Rovenský, Jozef, Kozáková, Darina, Wagnerová, Hedviga, Tajtáková, Mária, Shoenfeld, Yehuda, Macejova, Z.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Malden, USA Blackwell Publishing Inc 01.09.2009
• Subjects: Antibodies; Autoimmune diseases; chronic autoimmune thyroiditis; Disorders; Patients; rheumatoid arthritis; Screens; Serums; systemic lupus erythematosus; Thyroid gland; Ultrasound
• ISSN: 0077-8923; 1749-6632
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04809.x

Chronic autoimmune thyroiditis (ATD) frequently overlaps with autoimmune rheumatic diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of various non‐organ‐specific autoantibodies in patients with ATD, as well as the presence of ATD in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Subjects and Methods: Group 1 comprised 80 patients with ATD, and group 2 contained 80 patients with SLE or RA. A control group consisted of 34 healthy subjects. Group 1 was examined for the presence of non‐organ‐specific autoantibodies. Serum fT3, fT4, TSH, and antibodies against thyroglobulin, thyroperoxidase, as well as ultrasound of thyroid gland, were determined in group 2. Results: Patients with ATD had a significantly higher prevalence of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) than control subjects (45% vs. 14.7%, P < 0.001). There were no significant differences in the prevalence of other antibodies between the groups. ANA‐positive patients were younger than ANA‐negative ones and had significantly higher anti‐TG values (P < 0.05). The prevalence of ATD in group 2 was significantly higher than in the control subjects (24% vs. 8%, P < 0.05). No significant differences in the prevalence of ATD were detected between SLE and RA. Conclusion: The authors conclude that ANA is the most frequent non‐organ‐specific antibody associated with ATD, while the other antibodies occur rarely. The prevalence of ATD in SLE and RA patients was 24%. These results indicate that it is clinically important to screen patients with SLE and RA for the coexistence of thyroid autoimmune disease.