Autoimmune Thyroid Disorders

Abstract

Purpose of Review. Studies have been published in the field of autoimmune thyroid diseases since January 2005. The review is organized into areas of etiology, autoimmune features, autoantibodies, mechanism of thyroid cell injury, B-cell responses, and T-cell responses. Also it reviews the diagnosis and the relationship between autoimmune thyroid disease, neoplasm, and kidney disorders. Recent Findings. Autoimmune thyroid diseases have been reported in people living in different parts of the world including North America, Europe, Baalkans, Asia, Middle East, South America, and Africa though the reported figures do not fully reflect the number of people infected per year. Cases are unrecognized due to inaccurate diagnosis and hence are treated as other diseases. However, the most recent studies have shown that the human autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITDs) affect up to 5% of the general population and are seen mostly in women between 30 and 50 years. Summary. Autoimmune thyroid disease is the result of a complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Overall, this review has expanded our understanding of the mechanism involved in pathogenesis of AITD and the relationship between autoimmune thyroid disease, neoplasm, and kidney disease. It has opened new lines of investigations that will ultimately result in a better clinical practice.

Prevalence and characteristics of anemia associated with thyroid disorders in non-pregnant Saudi women during the childbearing age: A cross-sectional study

“…Hence, future studies should rule out the possibility of hemolysis as a cause of normocytic normochromic anemia, despite the fact that hemolytic anemia is rare in hypothyroidism. [8,12,16] Also, the observed cases of microcytic hypochromic anemia in the subanalysis of participants with normal serum iron level could be due to the co-existence of a chronic inflammation (e.g. autoimmune thyroiditis).…”

“…[6,7,10] Alternatively, hyperthyroidism is less prevalent with a frequency ranging between 0.5 and 2% in women. [1,3,[10][11][12][13][14][15] Thyroid disorders are associated with hematological abnormalities and anemia is the most prevalent disorder. [6,12,[16][17][18] Early reports have shown a decrease in the number of red blood cells (RBCs) in the peripheral blood of patients after thyroidectomy [19] and anemia has been defined in 20-60% of the patients with hypothyroidism.…”

“…[1,3,[10][11][12][13][14][15] Thyroid disorders are associated with hematological abnormalities and anemia is the most prevalent disorder. [6,12,[16][17][18] Early reports have shown a decrease in the number of red blood cells (RBCs) in the peripheral blood of patients after thyroidectomy [19] and anemia has been defined in 20-60% of the patients with hypothyroidism. [7,8,16] Although early reports showed that Graves' disease is also associated with hematological disorders, [11,14,15] anemia is not frequently observed in patients with hyperthyroidism, whereas erythrocytosis is common.…”

“…[14,[20][21][22][23] Females are more prone to the development of thyroid disorders and/or anemia, especially during the reproductive age and pregnancy. [2,3,6,7,12] Little is known about the incidence of thyroid disorders and their associated types of anemia in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to measure the prevalence and types of thyroid disorders and to study their relationship with anemia frequency and anemia types in non-pregnant females during the childbearing age.…”

Study of Prevalence and Pattern of Anaemia in Hypothyroidism

“…[6,7,8,9] Thyroid disorders are associated with haematological abnormalities and anaemia is the most prevalent disorder. [1,10,11,12,13] Anaemia has been defined in 20-60% of the patients with hypothyroidism. [3,4,11] Hypothyroidism leads to deceleration of metabolic activity in the body.…”