Korean J Intern Med.
2017 Mar;32(2):309-313. 10.3904/kjim.2014.369.
Association between thyroid autoimmunity and Helicobacter pylori infection
- Affiliations
-
- 1Department of Internal Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. tykim@amc.seoul.kr
- 2Department of Internal Medicine, Dongnam Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, Busan, Korea.
- KMID: 2371654
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.3904/kjim.2014.369
Abstract
- BACKGROUND/AIMS
There have been controversial reports linking Helicobacter pylori infection to autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD). However, data regarding the relationship are limited for Asian populations, which have an extremely high prevalence of H. pylori infection. We performed this study to investigate the association between H. pylori infection and AITD in Koreans.
METHODS
This study involved adults aged 30 to 70 years who had visited a health promotion center. A total of 5,502 subjects were analysed. Thyroid status was assessed by free thyroxine, thyroid stimulating hormone, and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPO-Ab). Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies to H. pylori were measured as an indication of H. pylori infection. We compared the prevalence of TPO-Ab in subjects with and without H. pylori infection.
RESULTS
H. pylori IgG antibodies were found in 2,875 subjects (52.3%), and TPO-Ab were found in 430 (7.8%). Individuals positive for H. pylori Ab were older than those negative for H. pylori Ab (p < 0.01). The proportion of females was significantly higher in the TPO-Ab positive group (41.0% vs. 64.2%, p < 0.01). Prevalence of TPO-Ab positivity was higher in subjects with H. pylori infection (8.6% vs. 7.00%, p = 0.03), and this association was significant after adjusting for age, sex, and body mass index (odds ratio, 1.02; 95% confidence interval, 1.00 to 1.03; p = 0.04).
CONCLUSIONS
In our study, prevalence of TPO-Ab positivity is more frequent in subjects with H. pylori infection. Our findings suggest H. pylori infection may play a role in the development of autoimmune thyroiditis.
Keyword
MeSH Terms
-
Adult
Antibodies
Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Autoimmunity*
Body Mass Index
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Health Promotion
Helicobacter pylori*
Helicobacter*
Humans
Immunoglobulin G
Peroxidase
Prevalence
Thyroid Diseases
Thyroid Gland*
Thyroiditis, Autoimmune
Thyrotropin
Thyroxine
Antibodies
Immunoglobulin G
Peroxidase
Thyrotropin
Thyroxine
