The frequency of Hashimoto thyroiditis in children and the relationship between urinary iodine level and Hashimoto thyroiditis

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of thyroid autoimmunity in second grade primary school students and to examine the relationship between iodine and Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT). This was a cohort study performed with 1000 students. Urinary iodine levels, antithyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) and antithyroglobulin (anti-Tg) antibodies were determined in all children. Children with anti-TPO or anti-Tg antibody positivity or with goiter were summoned for detailed examinations. In total, 36 cases (3.6%) were diagnosed as HT. The goiter frequency was found in 17.5% of the whole cohort. Additionally, iodine deficiency was found in 64.2% of all children. The median urinary iodine excretion was determined as 132 microg/L (range 382 microg/L) in the HT group, whereas it was 73 microg/L (range 390 microg/L) in children with goiter but without HT and 81 microg/L (range 394 microg/L) in normal children. The urinary iodine level of HT cases was significantly higher than the other two groups (p < 0.001). HT was also determined in 2% of patients with low urinary iodine levels, in 6.2% of patients with normal urinary iodine levels, and in 7.5% of patients with high urinary iodine levels. Our data demonstrates the close relationship between excessive iodine levels and autoimmunity.

Impact of Nutritional Iodine Optimization on Rates of Thyroid Hypoechogenicity and Autoimmune Thyroiditis: A Cross-Sectional, Comparative Study

“…In this study, children with goiter and without thyroiditis presented a median iodine urinary concentration of 73 lg/L, whereas in the group of normal children, the concentration was 81 lg/L. This observation suggests an association between increased iodine ingestion and thyroiditis (17).…”

Prevalence and Clinical Significance of Antithyroid Antibodies in Children with Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura

“…In our study, antithyroid autoantibodies were found positive in 36.8% of 103 pediatric ITP patients. Considering that the prevalence of antithyroid antibodies in healthy children and adolescents is estimated to be between 3.56% and 5.4% [15], 36.8% positivity detected in the patients with ITP is a remarkable figure.…”

Autoimmune Disease pH and Temperature

“…Indeed that is possibly what we see. As the level of intrathyroidal iodine increases, so does the incident of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis [4], one of the most common autoimmune diseases. However, not everyone develops Hashimoto’s thyroiditis with higher iodine, just some people.…”