Thyroid Autoimmunity in the Context of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Implications for Vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with both type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and autoimmune disorders. The association of vitamin D with T2DM and thyroid autoimmunity (TAI) has not been investigated. Thus, we aimed to explore the putative association between T2DM and thyroid autoimmunity (TAI) focusing on the role of 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25(OH)D). Study population included 264 T2DM patients and 234 controls. To explore the potential association between 25(OH)D and thyroid autoimmunity while controlling for potential confounders-namely, age, gender, body mass index, and presence of T2DM-multivariate logistic regression analyses were undertaken. Patients with T2DM were younger (P < 0.001) and had significantly lower 25(OH)D levels (P < 0.001) and higher anti-TPO titers (P = 0.005). Multivariable logistic regression analyses suggested that T2DM and 25(OH)D levels were significantly associated with the presence of thyroid autoimmunity. In an elderly population of diabetic patients and controls with a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency, a patient with T2DM was found to be 2.5 times more likely to have thyroid autoimmunity compared to a nondiabetic individual and the higher the serum 25(OH)D levels were, the higher this chance was.