We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of lactose intolerance (LI) in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis(HT) and the effects of lactose restriction on thyroid function in these patients. Eighty-three HT patients taking L-thyroxine (LT4) were enrolled, and lactose tolerance tests were performed on all patients. Lactose intolerance was diagnosed in 75.9 % of the patients with HT. Thirty-eight patients with LI were started on a lactose-restricted diet for 8 weeks. Thirty-eight patients with LI (30 euthyroid and 8 with subclinical hypothyroidism), and 12 patients without LI were included in the final analysis. The level of TSH significantly decreased in the euthyroid and subclinical hypothyroid patients with LI [from 2.06 ± 1.02 to 1.51 ±1.1 IU/mL and from 5.45 ± 0.74 to 2.25 ± 1.88 IU/mL,respectively (both P<0.05)]. However, the level of TSH in patients without LI did not change significantly over the 8 weeks (P>0.05). Lactose intolerance occurs at a high frequency in HT patients. Lactose restriction leads to decreased levels of TSH, and LI should be considered in hypothyroid patients who require increasing LT4 doses,have irregular TSH levels and are resistant to LT4 treatment.

Heart type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) is a major cytoplasmic low-molecular weight protein and released into the circulation when the myocardium is injured. Previous studies have demonstrated that H-FABP is closely associated with acute coronary syndrome, hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy, heart failure, stroke, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, pulmonary embolism. The aim of this study was to investigate serum H-FABP value in the patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS). We measured serum H-FABP levels in 55 consecutive patients with MetS, and 73 age-matched control subjects by using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum H-FABP levels were significantly higher in patients with MetS than in control subjects 18.37 ± 13.0 and 7.9 ± 6.5 ng/ml, respectively, (P < 0.001). Serum H-FABP levels were significantly higher in patients with diabetic MetS than in without diabetic MetS, 24.0 ± 10.2 and 13.9 ± 12.6 ng/ml, respectively, (P: 0,003). There were statistically significant differences between patients without diabetic MetS and control subjects, 13.8 ± 12.6 and 7.9 ± 6.5 ng/ml, respectively, (P = 0.023). Patients with MetS have an increased risk of death from cardiovascular diseases. H-FABP seems to be a marker that will enable the detection of cardiac injury in the early asymptomatic period in patients with MetS.

Clinical and genetic findings of familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) may be variable in different populations. Environmental factors may also affect phenotypic features of FMF. In this study, we investigated demographic, clinical and mutational features of FMF patients who were treated in a single reference hospital in Turkey. Two hundred and sixty patients (169 females, 91 males, mean age 30.44 +/- 10.29 years) were included in this study. All patients were evaluated regarding MEFV gene mutations. The mean age of disease onset was 17.21 +/- 8.66 years (range 2-40 years). The mean duration between the disease onset and diagnosis was 9.39 +/- 8.92 years. Seventy percent of patients had symptoms before 20 years of age (early onset FMF). Arthritis and erysipelas like erythema (ELE) were more common, and the mean duration between the disease onset and diagnosis was longer in early onset FMF patients. The frequency of attacks per year, and disease severity score (DSS) was higher in early onset patients. Homozygote mutation of M694V was detected in 37 (20.2%) and 4 (5.2%) patients in early onset FMF and adult onset FMF groups, respectively (p < 0.05). Histological diagnosis of amyloidosis was established in 7 patients (2.7%). The age of disease onset was earlier, and arthritis and ELE were more frequent, and DSS was higher in patients with M694V/M694V mutation. In conclusion, mean delay to diagnosis in our FMF population is quite high. Early and adult onset forms may differ regarding some clinical, molecular and prognostic characteristics. Disease activity was higher in patients with homozygote mutation of M694V.

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Epicardial fat tissue thickness may be a useful indicator of early atherosclerosis in SCH and OH patients with HT.