Disorders of the iron economy in females with Hashimoto's thyroiditis

Abstract

Introduction: Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is the most common organ-specific autoimmune disorder. It is a chronic lymphocytic infiltration into the thyroid gland and is characterized by the production of anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) and anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb). HT is a polygenic disease with an incompletely defined etiopathogenesis. It affects 0.3-1.5/1000 subjects/year and is 4-10 times more frequent in women than in men (3.5-5/1000 subjects/year in women versus 0.6-1.0/1000 subjects in men).

Material and methods: The study group included 482 females of childbearing age (18-45 years). The group was divided into 3 subgroups: (147 - healthy individuals, 152 - hypothyreosis, 183 - HT). All patients were recruited in a 24-months period from the Cardiometabolic Center Gierach-Med in Bydgoszcz, Poland, and the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetology Collegium Medicum University of Nicolaus Copernicus in Bydgoszcz, Poland, and provided verbal consent to participate in the study.

Results: We noticed that a lower level of ferritin was connected with a higher level of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in each of the subgroups. Additionally, we marked the correlation between ferritin and TSH and anti-thyroid antibodies (TPOAb and TgAb). There was a strong, negative correlation between TSH and ferritin level in all the study groups. Moreover, there was a weak, negative correlation between anti-TPO, anti-TG, and ferritin level in females with HT.

Conclusions: To sum up, we believe that hypothyroidism, especially in the course of Hashimoto's disease, leads to an increased risk of iron and ferritin deficiency and requires monitoring of these parameters.

Keywords: Hashimoto’s thyroiditis; females; ferritin; hypothyreosis; iron.