Abstract:
Previous data have indicated that organ-specific and non-organ-specific autoimmune diseases may occur in the same patient. We report here our study on the type and prevalence of endocrine autoimmune diseases in undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD). A retrospective analysis revealed five out of 75 UCTD cases (6.6%) with cytology-verified autoimmune thyroiditis (associated with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in one case). Other UCTD patients had Graves’ disease (one case), non-toxic multinodular goitre (two cases) and central hypothyroidism (one case). In a prospective study, thyroid function was evaluated in 15 consecutive UCTD patients with neither clinical nor laboratory signs of thyroid involvement. Basal and post-TRH stimulation TSH levels were significantly higher in UCTD patients than in healthy subjects.
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Received: 25 March 1999 / Accepted: 9 July 1999
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Danieli, M., Rossetti, L., Fraticelli, P. et al. Autoimmune Thyroid Diseases in Patients with Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease. Clin Rheumatol 19, 42–46 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/s100670050009
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s100670050009