title: Immune profile and thyroid function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: Thyroid autoantibodies and thyroid function were studied in 175 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (ARA criteria, 1987). The study included 149 women and 26 men aged (54.7 +/- 13.1) all treated in the Clinic of Rheumatology, Higher Medical Institute, Plovdiv. A control group comprising 72 healthy subjects (aged 51.2 +/- 3.2) was used. Rheumatoid factor (RF) (latex agglutination test and Waaler-Rose test), antithyroglobulin (TAT) and antimicrosomal antibodies (MAT), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and the free fraction of thyroxine (FT4) were measured. 69.7% of all patients tested positive for RF by the latex test and 64.5% by the Waaler-Rose test. TAT was found in 55 (31.4%), MAT in 26 (14.8%) from all the examined, which is significantly greater in comparison with the controls (p < 0.05). The thyroid gland was in a euthyroid state in most of the RA patients although MAT and/or TAT were detected in them. The results suggest existence of two autoimmune diseases - rheumatoid arthritis and Hashimoto's thyroiditis and raise the question of whether they are not manifestations of a single autoimmune disease with different body organ localisation.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Rheumatology, Higher Medical Institute, Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
authors.forename: N D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Staykova
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Geneva-Popova
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Troev
authors.forename: S I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Kuzmanova
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Alimanska
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Murdzheva
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012016:Reference Values; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012494:Sampling Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013960:Thyroid Function Tests; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies