Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, University of Bari, Italy.
BMC Cardiovasc Disord. 2010 May 28;10:22. doi: 10.1186/1471-2261-10-22.
Hashimoto's thyroiditis is the most important cause of hypothyroidism. It is a systemic disease that can even affect the cardiovascular system, by accelerating the atherosclerotic process. Aim of this study was to examine whether autoimmune thyroiditis has an effect on the intima-media thickness of the common carotid artery (IMT-CCT), independently of the thyroid function and well-known cardiovascular risk factors. Hashimoto's thyroiditis is a systemic disease. The aim is to examine whether autoimmune thyroiditis and adiposity can effect carotid IMT independently of thyroid hormones and cardiovascular risk factors.
A total of 104 obese women (BMI > or = 25.0 kg/m-2), with FT3 and FT4 serum levels in the normal range and TSH levels < 4.5 microU/ml, were investigated. None of these patients was taking any kind of drug influencing thyroid function. Measurements were made of the IMT-CCT, BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure levels, as well as fasting TSH, FT3, FT4, anti-thyroid antibodies, insulin, fasting glycemia, triglycerides, total and HDL-cholesterol serum concentrations.
Of the 104 women, 30 (28.8%) were affected by autoimmune thyroiditis. Significantly higher values of IMT-CCT (p < 0.05), TSH (p < 0.05), and triglycerides (p < 0.05) were obtained, and significantly lower values of FT4 (p < 0.05), in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis as compared to those with a normal thyroid function. When examining the whole group together, at multiple regression analysis Hashimoto's thyroiditis maintained a positive association with the IMT (p < 0.001), independently of age, hypertension, BMI, and the fasting serum levels of TSH, FT3, FT4, insulin, fasting glycemia, triglycerides, total and HDL-cholesterol levels.
The present study shows that Hashimoto's thyroiditis is associated to an increased IMT only in overweight and obese, independently of the thyroid function, BMI and cardiovascular risk factors. These results suggest that Hashimoto's thyroiditis is a marker of evolution of the atherosclerosis if combined to adiposity.
桥本甲状腺炎是甲状腺功能减退症最重要的原因。它是一种全身性疾病，甚至会影响心血管系统，加速动脉粥样硬化进程。本研究旨在探讨自身免疫性甲状腺炎是否会影响颈总动脉内膜中层厚度（IMT-CCT），而与甲状腺功能和已知的心血管危险因素无关。桥本甲状腺炎是一种全身性疾病。目的是探讨自身免疫性甲状腺炎和肥胖是否可以独立于甲状腺激素和心血管危险因素对颈动脉 IMT 产生影响。
共调查了 104 名肥胖女性（BMI≥25.0kg/m-2），其血清 FT3 和 FT4 水平在正常范围内，TSH 水平<4.5μU/ml。这些患者均未服用任何影响甲状腺功能的药物。测量颈总动脉 IMT-CCT、BMI、腰围、血压水平，以及空腹 TSH、FT3、FT4、抗甲状腺抗体、胰岛素、空腹血糖、甘油三酯、总胆固醇和高密度脂蛋白胆固醇血清浓度。
在 104 名女性中，有 30 名（28.8%）患有自身免疫性甲状腺炎。与甲状腺功能正常的患者相比，桥本甲状腺炎患者颈总动脉 IMT-CCT（p<0.05）、TSH（p<0.05）和甘油三酯（p<0.05）的水平显著升高，而 FT4（p<0.05）的水平显著降低。当对整个组进行检查时，多元回归分析显示，桥本甲状腺炎与 IMT 呈正相关（p<0.001），与年龄、高血压、BMI 以及空腹 TSH、FT3、FT4、胰岛素、空腹血糖、甘油三酯、总胆固醇和高密度脂蛋白胆固醇水平无关。
本研究表明，桥本甲状腺炎与超重和肥胖患者的 IMT 增加有关，而与甲状腺功能、BMI 和心血管危险因素无关。这些结果表明，如果与肥胖相结合，桥本甲状腺炎是动脉粥样硬化进展的一个标志物。
