[Autoimmune thyroid disease and associated rheumatic disorders]

Musculosceletal manifestations were found in patients with hyperthyroidism as well as hypothyroidism. This article will review the available evidence that autoimmune thyroid disease is associated with: Sjögren's sydrome (SS), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthropathies. Possible pathogenesis of these manifestations has not been completely established. Sjögren's syndrome occurs in about 1/10 of patients with autoimmune thyroid disease; patients with SLE and antithyroid antibodies were significantly older than those pattiens without antibodies. Patients with systemic sclerosis and thyroid disease were significantly younger than those without antibodies. Thyroid disfunction was found three times more often in women with RA than in women with noninflammatory rheumatic diseases, and those with thyroid disease tended to have a shorter duration of arthritis.