Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2026
Generation of a Mouse Spontaneous Autoimmune Thyroiditis Model
Published on: March 17, 2023
Thyroid autoimmunity and spontaneous cervicocranial artery dissection: an exploratory segment-specific case-control
Yaqiong Yang1, Zhenxiang Zhao2, Ningning Che2
1Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Introduction:
Immune-mediated mechanisms are thought to contribute to the local vascular inflammation associated with spontaneous cervicocranial arterial dissection (SCCAD). However, evidence linking thyroid autoimmunity to SCCAD remains conflicting. Furthermore, the potential correlation between thyroid autoimmunity and the anatomical distribution of dissections has not been evaluated.
Methods:
This retrospective, hospital-based case-control study was conducted from June 2021 to May 2025, enrolling 164 patients with SCCAD and 164 healthy controls. Multivariate logistic regression analyses, and patient-level sensitivity analyses were employed to examine the impact of thyroid autoantibodies on SCCAD and their anatomical distributions. Additionally, propensity score matching, stratified analyses and interaction tests were performed to assess the robustness of the association between thyroid autoimmunity and SCCAD.
Results:
Multivariate analyses showed that, compared with healthy controls, SCCAD had significantly higher rates of thyroid autoimmunity positivity (OR 6.715; 95% CI: 1.589-28.377; P = 0.010) and elevated TPOAb levels (OR 5.999; 95% CI: 1.379-26.096; P = 0.017). In segment-specific analyses, elevated TPOAb levels were positively associated with V4 segment involvement (OR 7.663, 95% CI: 1.443-40.680, P = 0.017) and inversely associated with V3 segment involvement (OR 0.065, 95% CI: 0.005-0.816, P = 0.034). The robustness of these segment-specific associations was further supported by patient-level sensitivity analyses (V3: OR 0.043, 95% CI: 0.003-0.669, P = 0.025; V4: OR 10.452, 95% CI: 1.143-95.584, P = 0.038).
Discussion:
In conclusion, thyroid autoimmunity positivity and elevated TPOAb were independently associated with SCCAD, and TPOAb demonstrated a previously unrecognized segment-specific association with vertebral artery dissections-positive at V4 and inverse at V3.
