Sarcoidosis and autoimmune thyroid disease

Background:

Association between Sarcoidosis and other autoimmune diseases has been previously described and a common pathogenesis has been hypothesized.

Objectives:

A descriptive retrospective study has been conducted to evaluate the incidence of thyroid diseases in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis.

Methods:

We conducted a retrospective chart review of all patients diagnosed with sarcoidosis between 2004 and 2011at the Morgagni Hospital, Forlì. Co-morbidities and extra-thoracic involvement were examined. Patients who were also diagnosed as having an autoimmune thyroid disease were selected.

Results:

39 out of 246 (15,9%) patients with sarcoidosis were identified as having autoimmune thyroid disease, 9 male and 30 female. Sarcoidosis presented as Löfgren's syndrome in 6 patients patients (15,4%). 3 patients developed Graves' disease (7.7%), 12 patients developed Hashimoto's thyroiditis with hypothyroidism (30.8%) and 24 patients had thyroid nodules with normal thyroid function (61.5%).

Conclusions:

Our study suggests that sarcoidosis may be associated with autoimmune thyroid diseases at some time of its evolution, either as hyper-thyroidism or hypothyroidism.

We are now following up sarcoidosis patients with no thyroid diseases to see if any thyroid disease can develop after the diagnosis or during the period of activity of sarcoidosis.