Thyroid-related autoantibodies in Tunisian patients with coeliac disease.
BACKGROUND
The aim of our study was to evaluate, retrospectively, the frequency of anti-thyroid antibodies (ATA) in coeliac disease (CD) patients.


METHODS
ELISA was used to determine the frequency of anti-thyroid stimulating hormone receptor antibodies, thyroperoxidase antibodies and thyroglobulin antibodies in sera of 104 adult patients with CD. Patients were divided into three groups: group I, 56 untreated patients; group II, 21 patients on a strict gluten-free diet (GFD); and group III, 27 patients who did not comply with a GFD. Sera of 189 healthy blood donors served as controls.


RESULTS
Out of 104 patients with CD, five (4.8%) had ATA. The frequency of ATA found in the control group (1.6%) was not significantly different from that found in all CD patients. However, the frequency of ATA in CD patients on a GFD was significantly higher than that found in the control group (8.3% vs. 1.6%, p=0.03). The frequency of ATA in groups I, II and III was 1.8%, 9.5% and 7.4%, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
ATA were found in CD patients even on a GFD.
Toumi
Dorsaf
D
Faculty of Pharmacy, Monastir, Tunisia.
Mankai
Amani
A
Belhadj
Ramla
R
Ghedira-Besbes
Leila
L
Jeddi
Moncef
M
Ghedira
Ibtissem
I
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000276:immunology*; D004032:Diet; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005983:Glutens; D006801:Humans; D018828:Immunoglobulins, Thyroid-Stimulating / Q000276:immunology*; D007453:Iodide Peroxidase / Q000276:immunology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011989:Receptors, Thyrotropin / Q000276:immunology; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000276:immunology; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000201:enzymology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D014416:Tunisia
D018828:Immunoglobulins, Thyroid-Stimulating; D011989:Receptors, Thyrotropin; D005983:Glutens; D013954:Thyroglobulin; D007453:Iodide Peroxidase