Chronic urticaria and autoimmune thyroiditis.
OBJECTIVE
Idiopathic chronic urticaria may be associated to other auto-immune diseases, in particular thyroiditis. The goal of our study is to show that this association is higher than the incidence of auto-immune thyroiditis in the general population.


METHODS
It is a retrospective observational study including 90 patients with chronic urticaria. We calculated the proportion of patients having associated auto-immune thyroiditis based on a level of anti-TPO >220 mUI/ml.


RESULTS
The mean age of patients was 36.7 years with a sex ratio F/H of 2.9/1. The anti-TPO antibodies were positive in 16 patients (17.7%). Eight were euthyroid, seven had hypothyroidism and one had hyperthyroidism with positive anti-TSH receptor antibodies. The percentage of anti-TPO antibodies in the chronic urticaria patients was higher than the control group (17.7 vs. 8.7; p < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
This significant association between chronic urticaria and autoimmune thyroiditis may change the medical practice in Lebanon by including anti-TPO and anti-thyroglobulin antibodies in the workup of patients with chronic urticaria.
Hôtel-Dieu de France University Hospital Beirut, Lebanon. iranica@yahoo.com
Carla
C
Irani
Mouin
M
Jammal
Gerard
G
Asmar
Hanine
H
Hajj
Georges
G
Halaby
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007453:Iodide Peroxidase / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000150:complications*; D014581:Urticaria / Q000150:complications*; D055815:Young Adult
D001323:Autoantibodies; D007453:Iodide Peroxidase