Celiac Disease Linked to Autoimmune Thyroid Disease 
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WESTPORT, Mar 30 (Reuters Health) - A relatively high percentage of patients with autoimmune thyroiditis have celiac disease, Italian investigators report. 

Dr. Tarcisio Not, of Clinica Pediatrica, I.R.C.C.S., Trieste, and colleagues, studied 172 patients with autoimmune thyroid disorders, and two control groups. The control groups comprised 498 patients with other diseases and 4,000 healthy blood donors. Screening was done with IgA-class endomysium antibody using immunofluorescence. 

The findings, reported in the February issue of Digestive Diseases and Sciences, show that the prevalence of celiac disease was 3.4% in patients with autoimmune thyroiditis, and 0.6% and 0.25% among the two control groups. 

Moreover, the study found an association between untreated celiac disease, gluten intake and autoimmune disorders. The researchers write, "We believe that undiagnosed celiac disease can cause other disorders by switching on some as yet unknown immunological mechanism. Untreated celiac patients produce organ-specific autoantibodies." 

They add, "By following these subjects longitudinally, it has been seen that not only do the anti-gliadin antibodies and anti-endomysium antibodies disappear after 3 to 6 months of a gluten-free diet, but so do the organ-specific autoantibodies." 

Given these results, Dr. Not and his team suggest that patients with autoimmune thyroiditis "may benefit from a screening for celiac disease so as to eliminate symptoms and limit the risk of developing other autoimmune disorders." 

Dig Dis Sci 2000;45:403-406.