Autoimmune Thyroid Disease and Keratoconus: Is There an Association?

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Immunology
• Endocrinology

Background:

• Previous studies suggest a link between autoimmune diseases and keratoconus (KC).
• Autoimmune thyroid disease encompasses conditions like Graves' disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between autoimmune thyroid disease and keratoconus.
• To determine if patients with autoimmune thyroid disease have a higher prevalence of KC.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study included 131 adult subjects (68 with autoimmune thyroid disease, 63 healthy controls).
• Keratoconus diagnosis was based on clinical and corneal topographic findings using the Oculus-Pentacam.
• Thyroid function tests (TSH, total T4) and antibodies (TPOAb) were measured; other tests were selectively performed.

Main Results:

• Multivariate analysis, adjusting for age and gender, showed no significant association between autoimmune disease and keratoconus.
• The odds ratio was 1.1 (95% CI: 0.3, 3.8; p=0.353).

Conclusions:

• This study did not find a statistically significant association between autoimmune thyroid disease and keratoconus.
• The proposed link between autoimmune diseases and KC requires further investigation.