PREDICTION OF HASHIMOTO’S THYROIDITIS IN PATIENTS WITH OTHER SYSTEMIC AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS: A FIVE-YEAR STUDY
Osama Rabadi*, MD, Lamees Abasi, MD, Ibrahim AL-Abdalla, MD, Rania AL-asa’d, MD, Ishraq Abudarweesh, MD, Maher Hijazin, MD, Bassam AL-deikeh, MD, Maha AL-amro, MD, Hazem Haddad, MD and Muthana Halasa, MD
ABSTRACT
Background: Thyroid autoimmune diseases, are a universal public health problem, with a broad spectrum of disorders linked to the thyroid gland, which has a vast outcome on human well-being. The frequency of thyroid dysfunction differs in each population that can be recognized to environmental elements, ethnicity, sex, age, etc. Autoimmune thyroid disorders are a various group of organ-specific autoimmune diseases, of which the most frequent include Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, which is recognized by thyroid autoantibodies, especially anti-thyroid peroxidase (TPO antibody) and anti-thyroglobulin (TG antibody), since they are significant diagnostic markers of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. The aim of this retrospective study is to show the importance of anti-thyroid auto-antibodies in the diagnosis of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis in patients with abnormal thyroid function test, moreover this study implicates the significance of anti-thyroid auto-antibodies in the screening of patients with autoimmune diseases, to predict the development of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in the time period between May 2017 and May 2022, and included 1000 subjects, divided into two groups; the first group consists of 800 patients, of which females were 530 and males were 270 referred from Surgical, Medical and Endocrine clinics at King Hussein Medical Center (KHMC), having abnormal TSH and T4 levels with clinical features of thyroid disorders after excluding other causes, clinical data was collected using Electronic medical records. The second group consists of 200 euthyroid subjects of which females were 140 and males were 60, suffering from other autoimmune diseases, who were referred from rheumatology and endocrine clinics, they were tested for their TSH and T4 levels in relation to anti-thyroid auto-antibodies as an autoimmune routine checkup. Results: This retrospective study that included 1000 subjects, aged between 18 and 75 with a mean age of 34.8 ± 14.08. Group 1 included 800 patients, of which females were 530 and males were 270, group 2 consists of 200 euthyroid subjects suffering from other autoimmune diseases, of which females were 140 and males were 60, were followed in the clinic for 5 years duration for their thyroid function and the anti-thyroid antibodies. In group 1 our study reported that 344 were hypothyroid and 136 had subclinical hypothroidism, 240 were hyperthyroid and 80 had subclinical hyperthyroidism. Of the hypothyroid and subclinical hyporthyroid patients (n=360, 75 %) were positive for anti-TPO and (n=302, 63%) were positive for anti-TG. Of the hyperthyroid and subclinical hyperthyroid patients (n=205, 64 %) were positive for anti-TPO and (n=185, 58%) were positive for anti-TG. In group 2 and at the end of the time period of our study, we found that the percentage of hypothyroidism and subclinical hyporthyroidism was 18.5%, and the percentage of hyperthyroidism and subclinical hyperthyroidism was 10%, of which 70% and 65% patients developed ant-TPO prior to the onset of deranged thyroid function, respectively. Conclusion: Thyroid autoantibodies are significantly important in the diagnosis of thyroid autoimmune diseases in patients with abnormal thyroid function test, and in predicting the development of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis in euthyroid patients with other systemic autoimmune diseases.
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