title: The presence of the antigliadin antibodies in autoimmune thyroid diseases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the presence of the antigliadin antibodies in the patients with Graves' disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four hundred patients with autoimmune thyroid disease (280 Graves' disease and 120 Hashimoto's thyroiditis ) were included in the study. The patients with celiac sprue patients were excluded. For the diagnosis of autoimmune thyroiditis, blood levels of thyrotropin (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), and the titration of thyroid autoantibodies (TgAb and TmAb) were measured, and the thyroid gland was ultrasonographycally evaluated. After the diagnosis of autoimmune thyroid disease was established, the titration of antigliadin antibodies (Ig A and B) were routinely detected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty two patients (5.5 per cent) with autoimmune thyroiditis had positive antigliadin antibodies. Polyglandular endocrine syndrome was diagnosed in most of these patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We claim that polyglandular endocrine syndrome is the commonest cause of positivity of antigliadin antibodies in the patients with autoimmune thyroid disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Atatürk, Erzurum, Turkey.
authors.forename: Müfide Nuran
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Akçay
authors.forename: Güngör
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Akçay
mesh_terms: D000906:Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D005903:Gliadin / Q000276:immunology*; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D016884:Polyendocrinopathies, Autoimmune / Q000175:diagnosis; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D013972:Thyrotropin; D005903:Gliadin; D013974:Thyroxine