Prevalencia de la enfermedad tiroidea autoinmune en pacientes con diabetes mellitus tipo 1

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of autoimmune thyroid disease in type 1 diabetes patients and their association to clinical and analytical parameters. Methodology: A retrospective observational study of type 1 diabetes patients was designed to analyze the prevalence of autoimmune thyroid disease and related factors. Results: The study included 507 patients with type 1 diabetes (50.4% women), aged 33.5 ± 11.8 years with an average duration of diabetes of 16.1 ± 9.5 years. The average level of HbA1c was 7.8 ± 1.4%. The prevalence of autoimmune thyroid function disorder was 17.8% (9.9% primary hypothyroidism, 7.1% subclinical hypothyroidism, and 0.8% Graves disease). There was a positive association between thyroid disease and female gender (24.6% versus 10.8% in men, p < 0.001), smoking (15.6% versus 2.2%, p = 0.039) and serum LDL levels (110.1 ± 31.4 mg/dL versus 102.9 ± 28.8 mg/dL; p < 0.043). Conclusion: Prevalence of autoimmune thyroid disease in type 1 diabetes patients is high and it is associated with female gender, smoking and increased LDL levels. We suggest a systematic screening for autoimmune thyroid disease in type 1 diabetes to establish an early diagnose and treatment.