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Updated: Feb 2, 2026
Generation of a Mouse Spontaneous Autoimmune Thyroiditis Model
Published on: March 17, 2023
Autoimmune thyroid diseases are more common in patients with prolactinomas: a retrospective case-control study in an
T Pilli1, S Cardinale1, C Dalmiglio1
1Department of Medical, Surgical and Neurological Sciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy.
Background:
Prolactin may exert immunological effects. Over the years, a higher prevalence of autoimmune thyroid diseases (ATD) has been reported in patients with prolactinomas (PRLs) in areas with sufficient iodine intake.
Purpose:
The aim of our study was to evaluate the prevalence of ATD [Graves' disease (GD) and chronic autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT)] in a retrospective cohort of Italian patients with PRLs compared to a sex-matched control group, represented by subjects with non-functioning pituitary adenoma (NFPA) or empty sella (ES).
Materials And Methods:
We enrolled 149 patients (108 F/41 M) with PRLs (110 micro/39 macro) and 143 subjects (100 F/43 M) with NFPA (n = 96, 56 micro/40 macro) or ES (n = 47), with normal serum prolactin. Neck ultrasound and thyroid function tests (anti-thyroid antibodies, TSH, FT3 and FT4) were performed in all patients.
Results:
In PRLs, median serum prolactin was significantly higher (98.3 vs. 8.9 ng/ml, p ≤ 0.0001), while age was lower (34 vs. 46 years, p ≤ 0.001) compared to controls. The prevalence of ATD was 13.4% (20/149) in PRLs (1 GD and 19 AIT) compared to 6.3% (9/143) in the controls (p = 0.042). At the multivariate analysis, serum prolactin was the only independent factor predicting ATD. Thyroid volume (12.5 ± 5.9 ml vs. 12.8 ± 10 ml, p = 0.47) and the presence of uni- or multinodular goiter (29.5% vs. 35%, p = 0.35) did not differ between PRLs and control groups.
Conclusions:
Our data in an area with mild iodine deficiency confirm a higher prevalence of ATD in patients with prolactinomas.
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