Premature ovarian failure: its relationship to autoimmune disease

Thirty-three patients with the diagnosis of chromosomally competent premature ovarian failure were reviewed for evidence of autoimmune disease. Thirty-nine percent of subjects had an associated autoimmune disorder, of which thyroid disease was the most common. One patient had vitiligo and one had adrenal insufficiency. A family history of autoimmune disease was elicited from 18% of subjects, all of whom proved to have an autoimmune disease themselves. From these findings, and a review of other studies, the authors conclude that an associated autoimmune disease, or other evidence of autoimmunity, is present in 30 to 50% of patients with premature ovarian failure.