Autoimmune thyroid diseases in patients with chronic fasciolosis

Background: The prevalence of autoimmune thyroid diseases and autoantibodies in patients with chronic fasciolosis (CF) was investigated. Methods: Thyroid function of 32 patients with CF and 72 patients without fasciolosis infection was evaluated biochemically. Thyroid hormones, antithyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb) and antithyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) were measured. Results: In patients with CF, the prevalences of autoantibodies against thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin were 21.9% (7/32) and 15.6% (5/32) respectively. However, thyroid function disorder was identified in only 3 (9.4%) cases. In the control group, TPOAb and TgAb were determined in 2 (2.7%) cases, but no one had thyroid function disorder. The prevalences of thyroid autoantibodies (chi(2): 7.948, p<0.01) and autoimmune thyroid diseases (chi(2): 4.007, p<0.05) were significantly higher in the CIF group. Conclusions: The high prevalence of TPOAb and TgAb in CF suggests that patients with CF should be evaluated for autoimmune thyroid disorders at the time of diagnosis and during the follow-up period.