Disorders of the iron economy in females with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis

Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is the most common organ-specific autoimmune disorder. It is a chronic lymphocytic infiltration into the thyroid gland and is characterized by the production of anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) and anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb). HT is a polygenic disease with an incompletely defined etiopathogenesis. It affects 0.3-1.5/1000 subjects/year and is 4-10 times more frequent in women than in men (3.5-5/1000 subjects/year in women versus 0.6-1.0/1000 subjects in men). The study group included 482 females of childbearing age (18-45 years). The group was divided into 3 subgroups: (147 - healthy individuals, 152 - hypothyreosis, 183 - HT). All patients were recruited in a 24-months period from the Cardiometabolic Center Gierach-Med in Bydgoszcz, Poland, and the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetology Collegium Medicum University of Nicolaus Copernicus in Bydgoszcz, Poland, and provided verbal consent to participate in the study. We noticed that a lower level of ferritin was connected with a higher level of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in each of the subgroups. Additionally, we marked the correlation between ferritin and TSH and anti-thyroid antibodies (TPOAb and TgAb). There was a strong, negative correlation between TSH and ferritin level in all the study groups. Moreover, there was a weak, negative correlation between anti-TPO, anti-TG, and ferritin level in females with HT. To sum up, we believe that hypothyroidism, especially in the course of Hashimoto's disease, leads to an increased risk of iron and ferritin deficiency and requires monitoring of these parameters.