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Aspects of chronic autoimmune thyroiditis in children and adolescents

Svensson, Johan LU (2006)
Abstract
The aims of this thesis were to 1) compare different methods for detection of antibodies against thyroglobulin (TgAb) and thyroid peroxidase (TPOAb), particulary in children with chronic autoimmune thyroditis (AIT), 2) investigate if maternal enterovirus infection is a risk factor for development of AIT in offspring, 3) ascertain the prevalence of thyroid autoantibodies in cord blood sera from children who later developed AIT, 4) develop a new reference standard for interpretation of normative thyroid volumes in Swedish children, and 5) evaluate the effect of Levothyroxine (L-thyroxine) treatment on thyroid size in children and adolescents with AIT.



We found that 1) Methods based on radioimmunoassay (RIA) were more... (More)
The aims of this thesis were to 1) compare different methods for detection of antibodies against thyroglobulin (TgAb) and thyroid peroxidase (TPOAb), particulary in children with chronic autoimmune thyroditis (AIT), 2) investigate if maternal enterovirus infection is a risk factor for development of AIT in offspring, 3) ascertain the prevalence of thyroid autoantibodies in cord blood sera from children who later developed AIT, 4) develop a new reference standard for interpretation of normative thyroid volumes in Swedish children, and 5) evaluate the effect of Levothyroxine (L-thyroxine) treatment on thyroid size in children and adolescents with AIT.



We found that 1) Methods based on radioimmunoassay (RIA) were more efficient in detecting both TgAb and TPOAb in children with AIT than methods based on agglutination. TgAb (RIA) was the only method able to detect antibodies in all children with AIT. We believe that methods for detection of TgAb and TPOAb should be based on immunoassays, such as RIA, and that TgAb still is valuable in the clinical diagnosis of AIT. 2) Immunoglobulin M (IgM) against enterovirus, indicating an enterovirus infection late in pregnancy were more common among mothers of children with AIT, as compared to controls (16% vs. 7%). The difference did not reach statistical significance. However, children of enterovirus IgM-positive mothers were significantly younger and more often overtly hypothyroid upon diagnosis of AIT than children of enterovirus IgM-negative mothers, suggesting a promoting effect on the autoimmune process in genetically-susceptible individuals. 3) Children with AIT had had a significantly higher prevalence of thyroid autoantibodies in cord blood, as compared to controls (44% vs. 16%). Whether this intrauterine exposure to maternal thyroid autoantibodies had a pathogenic role in the development of AIT in these children, or simply mirrored the inheritance of AIT, remains to be investigated. 4) Thyroid volume correlated independently with age and with anthropometrics, to a significant degree. To accurately interpret thyroid volume, we feel that both age and anthroprometrics need to be considered. To accomplish this, we propose applying a multivariate model using age and body surface area (BSA) as predictors. 5) Based on the muiltivariate model for interpretation of thyroid volume, L-thyroxine treatment was found to reduce thyroid size in children with goiter due to AIT, irrespective of thyroid function when treatment commenced. We, therefore, recommend L-thyroxine for treatment of goiter in children with AIT. (Less)
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author
supervisor
opponent
  • Professor Gustafsson, Jan, Institutionen för kvinnors och barns hälsa. Akademiska barnsjukhuset. Akademiska sjukhuset. Uppsala
organization
publishing date
type
Thesis
publication status
published
subject
keywords
adolescents, thyroid autoantibodies, enterovirus infection, thyroid ultrasonography, reference standard, goiter, chronic autoimmune thyroiditis, levothyroxine treatment, Medicin (människa och djur), Medicine (human and vertebrates), children
pages
145 pages
publisher
Institutionen för kliniska vetenskaper, Malmö
defense location
Universtitetsklinikernas aula, ingång 35. Universitetssjukhuset MAS
defense date
2006-01-20 09:15:00
ISBN
91-85481-29-7
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
B Lindberg, J Svensson, UB Ericsson, P Nilsson, E Svenonius and SA Ivarsson. 2000. Comparison of some different methods for analysis of thyroid autoantibodies: importance of thyroglobulin autoantibodies. Thyroid, vol 11 pp 265-9.
J Svensson, B Lindberg, B Jonsson, UB Ericsson, P Olofsson, H Hyöty and SA Ivarsson. 2004. Intrauterine exposure to maternal enterovirus infection as a risk factor for development of autoimmune thyroiditis during childhood and adolescence. Thyroid, vol 14 pp 367-70.
J Svensson, B Lindberg, UB Ericsson, P Olofsson, B Jonsson and SA Ivarsson. 2006. Thyroid autoantibodies in cord blood sera from children and adolescents with autoimmune thyroiditis. Thyroid, (accepted)
J Svensson, PE Nilsson, C Olsson, JÅ Nilsson, B Lindberg and SA Ivarsson. 2004. Interpretation of normative thyroid volumes in children and adolescents: is there a need for a multivariate model? Thyroid, vol 14 pp 536-43.
J Svensson, UB Ericsson, PE Nilsson, C Olsson, B Jonsson, B Lindberg and SA Ivarsson. 2006. Levothyroxine treatment reduces thyroid size in children and adolescents with chronic autoimmune thyroiditis. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, (accepted)
id
5ba09985-c4fe-4b76-9f20-925ab4cc8239 (old id 546074)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 15:43:29
date last changed
2018-11-21 20:36:00
@phdthesis{5ba09985-c4fe-4b76-9f20-925ab4cc8239,
  abstract     = {{The aims of this thesis were to 1) compare different methods for detection of antibodies against thyroglobulin (TgAb) and thyroid peroxidase (TPOAb), particulary in children with chronic autoimmune thyroditis (AIT), 2) investigate if maternal enterovirus infection is a risk factor for development of AIT in offspring, 3) ascertain the prevalence of thyroid autoantibodies in cord blood sera from children who later developed AIT, 4) develop a new reference standard for interpretation of normative thyroid volumes in Swedish children, and 5) evaluate the effect of Levothyroxine (L-thyroxine) treatment on thyroid size in children and adolescents with AIT.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
We found that 1) Methods based on radioimmunoassay (RIA) were more efficient in detecting both TgAb and TPOAb in children with AIT than methods based on agglutination. TgAb (RIA) was the only method able to detect antibodies in all children with AIT. We believe that methods for detection of TgAb and TPOAb should be based on immunoassays, such as RIA, and that TgAb still is valuable in the clinical diagnosis of AIT. 2) Immunoglobulin M (IgM) against enterovirus, indicating an enterovirus infection late in pregnancy were more common among mothers of children with AIT, as compared to controls (16% vs. 7%). The difference did not reach statistical significance. However, children of enterovirus IgM-positive mothers were significantly younger and more often overtly hypothyroid upon diagnosis of AIT than children of enterovirus IgM-negative mothers, suggesting a promoting effect on the autoimmune process in genetically-susceptible individuals. 3) Children with AIT had had a significantly higher prevalence of thyroid autoantibodies in cord blood, as compared to controls (44% vs. 16%). Whether this intrauterine exposure to maternal thyroid autoantibodies had a pathogenic role in the development of AIT in these children, or simply mirrored the inheritance of AIT, remains to be investigated. 4) Thyroid volume correlated independently with age and with anthropometrics, to a significant degree. To accurately interpret thyroid volume, we feel that both age and anthroprometrics need to be considered. To accomplish this, we propose applying a multivariate model using age and body surface area (BSA) as predictors. 5) Based on the muiltivariate model for interpretation of thyroid volume, L-thyroxine treatment was found to reduce thyroid size in children with goiter due to AIT, irrespective of thyroid function when treatment commenced. We, therefore, recommend L-thyroxine for treatment of goiter in children with AIT.}},
  author       = {{Svensson, Johan}},
  isbn         = {{91-85481-29-7}},
  keywords     = {{adolescents; thyroid autoantibodies; enterovirus infection; thyroid ultrasonography; reference standard; goiter; chronic autoimmune thyroiditis; levothyroxine treatment; Medicin (människa och djur); Medicine (human and vertebrates); children}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Institutionen för kliniska vetenskaper, Malmö}},
  school       = {{Lund University}},
  title        = {{Aspects of chronic autoimmune thyroiditis in children and adolescents}},
  year         = {{2006}},
}