Background Thyroid autoimmunity is the most frequent condition involved in polyautoimmunity (PolyA). However, the frequency of latent and overt PolyA in patients with autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) as the index condition is unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of these types of PolyA in patients with AITD as the index condition. Methods This study adhered to the relevant sections of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐analyses (PRISMA) guideline. Searches through MEDLINE, Embase and LILACS were done to find articles in Spanish and English. Relevant vocabulary terms and key terms related to AITD and other autoimmune diseases were used. Two investigators independently screened the eligible studies, extracted data and assessed the quality and risk of bias. Fixed and random effect models were used accordingly. Cluster analysis was used to determine similarities among diseases in the articles included (based on Jaccard index). Results A total of 56 articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Of these, 25 were case‐controls, 17 were cohorts, and 14 were cross‐sectional studies. These studies included a total of 47 509 patients. Female was the predominant gender and included 38 950 patients (81.23%, 95% CI: 80.85‐81.60). Graves’ disease (GD) was the most common type of thyroid autoimmunity (69.16%, 95% CI: 68.23‐70.07). Globally, overt PolyA was found in 13.46% of the patients with AITD. This type of PolyA was represented mainly by type 1 diabetes and autoimmune gastritis. Latent PolyA was presented in 17.45% of the patients, and anti‐proinsulin, anti‐parietal cells and dsDNA antibodies were the most common. HT had the highest frequency of overt PolyA in Europe (15.60%, 95% CI: 14.72‐16.53), whereas latent PolyA was most common in patients with GD in Asia (21.03%, 95% CI: 17.76‐24.71). Overt and latent PolyA were associated with gastrointestinal and endocrinological ADs in most of cases and clustered with rheumatological, dermatological and neurological ADs. Conclusions Latent and overt PolyA are common in patients with AITD. These results provide insightful information for early diagnosis and management of concurrent ADs in patients with AITD. Aggregation of ADs in different clusters may help to define different phenotypes associated with thyroid autoimmunity that are critically relevant in clinical settings.

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ObjectiveThe gastrointestinal (GI) tract is commonly affected in systemic sclerosis (SSc). A positive association between antivinculin antibody levels and GI symptom severity is reported in SSc. We sought to examine whether antivinculin antibodies associate with measures of GI dysmotility and extraintestinal clinical phenotype in SSc.MethodsA total of 88 well‐characterized patients with SSc and GI disease were assayed for antivinculin antibodies by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Whole‐gut scintigraphy, GI symptom scores, and clinical features of SSc were compared between patients with and without antibodies.ResultsTwenty of 88 (23%) patients had antivinculin antibodies, which were more prevalent in patients with slow gastric transit (35% versus 22%). In the univariate analyses, patients who were positive for antivinculin antibodies were more likely to have limited cutaneous disease (odds ratio [OR] 9.60 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.19, 77.23]) and thyroid disease (OR 4.09 [95% CI 1.27, 13.21]). Such patients were also less likely to have lung involvement based on a Medsger Severity Score of ≥2 (OR 0.25 [95% CI 0.07, 0.92]). Higher levels of antivinculin autoantibodies were associated with less gastric emptying (β coefficient –3.41 [95% CI –6.72, –0.09]). The association between antivinculin antibodies and each of these clinical features remained significant in the multivariable model. In particular, the presence of antivinculin antibodies (β coefficient –6.20 [95% CI –12.33, –0.063]) and higher levels of antivinculin antibodies (β coefficient –3.64 [95% CI –7.05, –0.23]) were each significantly associated with slower gastric transit.ConclusionAntivinculin antibodies associate with slower gastric transit in SSc and may provide insight into GI complications of SSc.image