Hypothyroidism among SLE patients: Case-control study

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of hypothyroidism in SLE patients varies considerably and early reports were mainly based on small cohorts.

Objectives: To investigate the association between SLE and hypothyroidism.

Methods: Patients with SLE were compared with age and sex-matched controls regarding the proportion of hypothyroidism in a case-control study. Chi-square and t-tests were used for univariate analysis and a logistic regression model was used for multivariate analysis. The study was performed utilizing the medical database of Clalit Health Services.

Results: The study included 5018 patients with SLE and 25,090 age and sex-matched controls. The proportion of hypothyroidism in patients with SLE was increased compared with the prevalence in controls (15.58% and 5.75%, respectively, P<0.001). In a multivariate analysis, SLE was associated with hypothyroidism (odds ratio 2.644, 95% confidence interval 2.405-2.908).

Conclusions: Patients with SLE have a greater proportion of hypothyroidism than matched controls. Therefore, physicians treating patients with SLE should be aware of the possibility of thyroid dysfunction.

Keywords: Autoimmune disease; Hypothyroidism; Polyautoimmunity; SLE; Thyroid dysfunction.