Thyroid autoimmunity in patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever: preliminary results.

OBJECTIVE

We investigated whether there was a significant increase in thyroid autoimmunity in patients with Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF).

METHODS

In total, 220 patients, consisting of 42 with FMF, 75 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and 103 healthy controls, were enrolled. Serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (fT3), free thyroxine (fT4), and thyroid autoantibodies (anti-thyroid peroxidase and anti-thyroglobulin) were measured in all participants.

RESULTS

After adjustment for age, gender, and smoking status, statistically significant differences between serum levels of anti-thyroglobulin antibody, anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody, and fT3 were found between the groups (all p < 0.001). Serum TSH level did not differ between the groups (p > 0.05). The frequency of autoimmune thyroiditis in FMF group is higher than control group. However, this difference did not reached the level of statistical significance (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Although statistically not significant, thyroid autoimmunity was observed more frequently in patients with FMF than in healthy controls. Thyroid autoantibodies were significantly higher in patients with FMF. Studies with greater number of patients are required for evaluating the frequency of the autoimmune thyroiditis in patients with FMF.