Thyroid Function and Anti-Thyroid Antibodies in Iranian Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: Influences of Age and Sex

Type 1 diabetes mellitu s is frequently associated with autoimmune thyroid disease(atd).genetic susceptibility for autoantibody formation in association with atd and type 1diabetes mellitu s has been described with varying frequencies, but there is still debate aboutits prevailing situation in iran.we have therefore inve stigated the prev alence of anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-tpo) andanti thyroglubolin (anti tg) antibo dies in type 1 diabetic patients, and compared the effectof age and sex on the thyroid autoimmunity in patients with type 1 diab etes mellitus in iran.ninety one subjects with type 1 diabetes mellitus and one hundred and sixty thre eunrelated normal controls under the age o f thirty years were recruited for the det ection ofanti-tpo and anti-tg. radio immuno assay and chemiluminescenc e method s were usedfor anti-tpo and anti-tg detection resp ectively.among 91 type 1 diabetic patients, 36 (39.6%) were positive for anti-tpo and 27(30%)were positive for antitg. anti-tpo antibodies were detected only in 6.7% of control group.comparing with tho se without thyroid autoimmunity, there was a female prep onderance forthe type 1 diabetic patients with thyroid autoimmunity (female: male, 28:14 vs. 28:20respectively). among the type 1 diabetic patients those with thyroid autoimmunity, tended tobe older (p: 0.04) and to have higher tsh concentration (p: 0.03). patients with high antitpolevels had longe r duration of diabetes (p: 0.02).the presence of anti-tpo in 39.6% of our type 1 diabetic patients comparing with 8.5%of normal subjects confirmed the strong association of atd and type 1 diabetes mellitu s.