title: Prevalence and clinical features of celiac disease in patients with autoimmune thyroiditis: cross-sectional study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder with an average prevalence of 1% in Europe and the United States. Because of strong European ancestry in southern Brazil, this study aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence of celiac disease among autoimmune thyroiditis patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study in a public university hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional prevalence study included autoimmune thyroiditis patients who were tested for anti-endomysial and anti-transglutaminase antibodies between August 2010 and July 2011.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-three patients with autoimmune thyroiditis were included; 92.5% were women, with mean age of 49.0 ± 13.5 years. Five patients (9.3%) were serologically positive for celiac disease: three of them (5.6%) were reactive for anti-endomysial antibodies and two (3.7%) for anti-transglutaminase. None of them exhibited anemia and one presented diarrhea. Endoscopy was performed on two patients: one with normal histology and the other with lymphocytic infiltrate and villous atrophy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of celiac disease among patients with autoimmune thyroid disease was 9.3%; one patient complained of diarrhea and none presented anemia. Among at-risk populations, like autoimmune thyroiditis patients, the presence of diarrhea or anemia should not be used as a criterion for indicating celiac disease investigation. This must be done for all autoimmune thyroiditis patients because of its high prevalence.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
authors.forename: Aline
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ventura
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcelo Fernando
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Ronsoni
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Beatriz Cacese
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Shiozawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
authors.forename: Esther Buzaglo
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Dantas-Corrêa
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Heloisa Busi da Silva
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Canalli
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
authors.forename: Leonardo de Lucca
authors.initials: Lde L
authors.lastname: Schiavon
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
authors.forename: Janaína Luz
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Narciso-Schiavon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis; D001706:Biopsy; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004386:Duodenum / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006779:Hospitals, Public; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood; D011503:Transglutaminases / Q000276:immunology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D013972:Thyrotropin; D011503:Transglutaminases