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Increased risk of coeliac disease in patients with congenital hypothyroidism

Stefano Stagi1, Cristina Manoni, Cecilia Cecchi

  • 1Department of Paediatrics, University of Florence, Anna Meyer Children's Hospital, Italy. stefano.stagi@yahoo.it

Hormone Research in Paediatrics
|July 16, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Children with congenital hypothyroidism (CH) show a higher prevalence of coeliac disease (CD). Further research is needed to understand the link between CH and CD.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Gastroenterology
  • Autoimmunology

Background:

  • Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is a condition where infants are born with an underactive thyroid gland.
  • Coeliac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten consumption.
  • The co-occurrence of CH and CD has been reported infrequently.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence of coeliac disease (CD) in children diagnosed with permanent congenital hypothyroidism (CH).
  • To assess the familial occurrence of autoimmune diseases in children with CH compared to controls.

Main Methods:

  • Studied 79 children with permanent CH (age 3.1-12.1 years) and 182 age/sex-matched controls.
  • Collected family history of autoimmune diseases and evaluated serum for CD antibodies (IgA, antigliadin, anti-endomysium, anti-transglutaminase).
  • Confirmed CD diagnosis via jejunal biopsy in antibody-positive subjects.

Main Results:

  • A significantly higher prevalence of autoimmune diseases in the families of CH patients (22% vs. 7.9%, p < 0.001).
  • 6 CH patients (7.6%) tested positive for CD antibodies, compared to 1% in controls (p < 0.005).
  • Histological confirmation of CD in 5 out of 6 antibody-positive CH patients (6.3% overall prevalence).

Conclusions:

  • Children with permanent CH exhibit a higher prevalence of coeliac disease.
  • Routine monitoring for CD is recommended in pediatric patients with CH.
  • Further studies are required to elucidate the underlying mechanisms connecting CH and CD.
Abstract

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