Thyroid dysfunction in rheumatoid arthritis: a controlled prospective survey.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES--To determine whether thyroid dysfunction is found with increased frequency in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS--A controlled prospective survey was conducted on a cohort of patients with RA derived from a hospital clinic and a private surburban rheumatology practice. A control group with similar demographic features was generated from the same sources and included subjects with either osteoarthritis or fibromyalgia. Consecutive patients were evaluated over a six month period. The evaluation included a complete history and physical examination, and determination of serum thyroxine, free thyroxine, triiodothyronine, thyroid stimulating hormone (IRMA), antinuclear antibodies, and rheumatoid factor. RESULTS--Of the 91 women with RA evaluated, 29 (30%) had evidence of thyroid dysfunction compared with 10 (11%) of 93 controls. The excess thyroid dysfunction is due to either hypothyroidism or Hashimoto's thyroiditis and was independent of age, increasing duration of disease, rheumatoid factor, and antinuclear antibodies. CONCLUSIONS--Thyroid dysfunction is seen at least three times more often in women with RA than in women with similar demographic features with non-inflammatory rheumatic diseases such as osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia.
Full text
Full text is available as a scanned copy of the original print version. Get a printable copy (PDF file) of the complete article (506K), or click on a page image below to browse page by page. Links to PubMed are also available for Selected References.
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Buchanan WW. The relationship of Hashimoto's thyroiditis to rheumatoid arthritis. Geriatrics. 1965 Nov;20(11):941–948. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- GIBBERD FB. A SURVEY OF FOUR HUNDRED AND SIX CASES OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. Acta Rheumatol Scand. 1965;11:62–70. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Raymond JP, Kahn MF, Bourgeois P, Vigneron AM, Dazza MC, Elias A, Branger M, Kaplan G. Etude prospective contrôlée des paramètres thyroïdiens cliniques et biologiques dans la polyarthrite rhumatoïde. Rev Rhum Mal Osteoartic. 1985 May;52(5):317–321. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Linos A, Worthington JW, Palumbo PJ, O'Fallon WM, Kurland LT. Occurrence of Hashimoto's thyroiditis and diabetes mellitus in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. J Chronic Dis. 1980;33(2):73–77. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Masi AT, Hartmann WH, Hahn BH, Abbey H, Shulman LE. Hashimoto's disease. A clinicopathological study with matched controls. Lack of significant associations with other "autoimmune" disorders. Lancet. 1965 Jan 16;1(7377):123–126. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Mulhern LM, Masi AT, Shulman LE. Hashimoto's disease. A search for associated disorders in 170 clinically detected cases. Lancet. 1966 Sep 3;2(7462):508–511. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Thomas DJ, Young A, Gorsuch AN, Bottazzo GF, Cudworth AG. Evidence for an association between rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune endocrine disease. Ann Rheum Dis. 1983 Jun;42(3):297–300.[PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Grennan DM, Dyer PA, Clague R, Dodds W, Smeaton I, Harris R. Family studies in RA - the importance of HLA-DR4 and of genes for autoimmune thyroid disease. J Rheumatol. 1983 Aug;10(4):584–589. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Silman AJ, Ollier WE, Bubel MA. Autoimmune thyroid disease and thyroid autoantibodies in rheumatoid arthritis patients and their families. Br J Rheumatol. 1989 Feb;28(1):18–21. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Arnett FC, Edworthy SM, Bloch DA, McShane DJ, Fries JF, Cooper NS, Healey LA, Kaplan SR, Liang MH, Luthra HS, et al. The American Rheumatism Association 1987 revised criteria for the classification of rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 1988 Mar;31(3):315–324. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Staub JJ, Althaus BU, Engler H, Ryff AS, Trabucco P, Marquardt K, Burckhardt D, Girard J, Weintraub BD. Spectrum of subclinical and overt hypothyroidism: effect on thyrotropin, prolactin, and thyroid reserve, and metabolic impact on peripheral target tissues. Am J Med. 1992 Jun;92(6):631–642. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Delamere JP, Scott DL, Felix-Davies DD. Thyroid dysfunction and rheumatic diseases. J R Soc Med. 1982 Feb;75(2):102–106.[PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Gerster JC, Valceschini P. Destructive arthropathy of fingers in primary hypothyroidism without chondrocalcinosis. Report of 3 cases. J Rheumatol. 1992 Apr;19(4):637–641. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Wahlberg P, Nyman D, Carlsson SA. 25 year follow-up of the Aland thyroid study of 1956. Thyroid status and incidence of rheumatoid arthritis. Acta Endocrinol Suppl (Copenh) 1983;251:47–52. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]