The prevalence of hyper- and hypothyroidism in patients with ulcerative colitis.
J Crohns Colitis 2008;
2:327-30. [PMID:
21172232 DOI:
10.1016/j.crohns.2008.09.001]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2008] [Revised: 08/23/2008] [Accepted: 09/01/2008] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
The association between ulcerative colitis and thyroid disorders has been previously reported. However, most reports consist of single case description, and a systematic assessment of this relationship has only sporadically been investigated.
AIMS
To study a cohort of patients with ulcerative colitis to establish the prevalence of hyper- and hypothyroidism.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
During a four-year period, we studied thyroid function in 162 ulcerative colitis patients (62 men, 100 women, age range 18-78 years).
RESULTS
Thyroid dysfunction was present in 4 patients (2.5%) of the overall population and was represented by both hypo- (3 patients) and hyperthyroidism (1 patient). The incidence of this kind of thyroid dysfunction was significantly (p=0.03) lower than that found in a large (more than 5000 subjects) control group.
CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that the prevalence of hyper-/hypothyroidism is relatively low in patients with ulcerative colitis, at least in our country, and does not justify a systematic investigation of the thyroid function, except in selected cases, probably those with scarce or no response to standard therapeutic measures.
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