Eye and eyelid abnormalities are common in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
BACKGROUND
Overt ophthalmopathy is presumed to be uncommon in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis compared to Graves' disease, where significant eye changes are found in approximately 40% of patients. On the other hand, when observing, more subtle eye changes, particularly upper eyelid retraction (UER) and mild inflammatory signs, may be common in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis.


METHODS
We have determined the prevalence and characteristics of eye signs in recently diagnosed patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis studied prospectively since 2004 till date in Sydney (Australia). We measured serum orbital antibodies in 20 of the patients in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.


RESULTS
The overall prevalence of eye signs in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis was 34%, of whom about a quarter had chronic UER, determined as a margin-reflex distance of >5 mm, as the main sign. There was no correlation between eye signs and cigarette smoking. Overall, there was only a modest correlation between eye signs and positive antibody tests, and 40% of patients with no eye signs at the time of study were antibody positive.


CONCLUSIONS
Eye changes, in particular UER, are common in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Since thyroid stimulating hormone-receptor antibodies are not usually associated with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, autoimmune mediated damage of the levator palpebrae superioris (eyelid) muscle cannot be due to these antibodies. Although eyelid abnormalities may be a minor problem for most patients, for some there are major cosmetic implications requiring surgical management.
Department of Medicine, Nepean Clinical School, The University of Sydney, Penrith, Australia.
Hilman
H
Tjiang
Hooshang
H
Lahooti
Tom
T
McCorquodale
Kishan R
KR
Parmar
Jack R
JR
Wall
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D002155:Calsequestrin / Q000097:blood; D024181:Collagen Type XIII / Q000097:blood; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005123:Eye / Q000276:immunology; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D005143:Eyelids / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D050031:Hashimoto Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D001323:Autoantibodies; D002155:Calsequestrin; D024181:Collagen Type XIII