title: Population survey of thyroid autoimmunity in Italy. Three year follow up.
abstract: Thyroid autoimmunity and primary hypothyroidism have been evaluated in a 3 year interval in 4 samples of general population from Bologna, Napoli, Palermo, Rome and Cagliari. The average prevalence of Mic-Abs was in males 4.1% and in females 10%. A significantly higher prevalence of Mic-Abs was found in the Cagliari sample where it reaches in males 6.1% and in females 20.4% (p less than 0.0005). Likewise Tg-Abs have been found increased in Cagliari (males: 4.6% vs 10.7%; females: 10.0% vs 16.6%; p less than 0.01). In the 3 year follow up Mic-Abs titre increases significantly whereas the Tg-Abs titre remains substantially unchanged. In the initial screening 1.65% of subjects were found to be latent (1.2%) or overt (0.45%) hypothyroids. Hypothyroidism was particularly frequent in the Cagliari sample and was constantly associated with Mic-Abs. In the 3 year follow up only 1 of 8 latent hypothyroids became overt.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Medicina Sperimentale, CNR, Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Salabè-Lotz
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Salabè
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D015551:Autoimmunity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000276:immunology; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000276:immunology; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000276:immunology*; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000276:immunology; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; C006606:anti-thyroglobulin; C056626:thyroid microsomal antibodies; D013972:Thyrotropin; D013954:Thyroglobulin