Poster (15W145)

Co-existence of thyroid disease in a cohort of Irish coeliac patients; the role of coeliac disease diagnosis and the onset of its symptoms on the development of thyroid disease

Author(s)

P. Dominguez Castro1, G. Harkin3, M. Hussey4, B. Christopher5, C. Kiat3, J. Liong Chin1, V. Trimble1, T. Martin2, D. McNamara4, P. MacMathuna2, B. Egan6, D. Kevans1, NP. Kennedy1, R. Farrell5, N. Mahmud1, V. Byrnes3, R. McManus1.

Department(s)/Institutions

1Institute of Molecular Medicine & Department of Clinical Medicine, Trinity Centre for Health Science, St James's Hospital, Dublin 8, Republic of Ireland, 2Gastrointestinal Unit, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Eccles St. Dublin. 3Department of Clinical Medicine, University College Hospital Galway, 4Department of Clinical Medicine, The Adelaide and Meath Hospital, Dublin, 5 Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown, Dublin, 6Department of Clinical Medicine, Mayo General Hospital, Castlebar, Co. Mayo.

Introduction

Thyroid disease (TD) and other autoimmune conditions have an increased prevalence in coeliac patients and vice-versa(1,2). Serum transglutaminase antibodies in CD patients may have a role in the development of TD(3,4). The gluten free diet (GFD) could have a protective role in the development of coexistent autoimmune conditions in CD patients(5).

Aims/Background

The aim of this study is to explore the role of CD diagnosis and onset/reoccurrence of its symptoms on the diagnosis of TD.

Method

Retrospective analysis of medical charts from a cohort of coeliac patients (n=564) (median age 57 years, range 16-88 years).

Results

116 patients (20.6%) had co-existent TD. There was no statistically significant difference in the time span between diagnosis of both diseases when the patients were separated between those who were diagnosed TD first (n=32, median=15.5 years) and those who were diagnosed CD first (n=49, median=14 years) (p=0.824). There was a small positive correlation between the age of diagnosis of CD and the age of diagnosis of TD (r=0.275, n=84, p=0.012). This became a medium positive correlation when for some of the patients (n=33) the onset or re-occurrence of symptoms after a long period not following the GFD was considered as their age of diagnosis (r=0.366, n=84, p=0.001).

Conclusions

The onset of symptoms or non-adherence to the GFD seems to be more related to the development of TD in our sample than the age of diagnosis with CD.

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