CONTEXT: The mechanisms leading to thyroid autoimmunity are largely unknown. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to assess the role of environment in the development of thyroid autoimmunity. DESIGN: Prevalence of thyroid autoantibodies in two neighboring populations living in completely different socioeconomic circumstances (Russian Karelia and Finland) was studied. SETTING: We studied two population-based cohorts partly sharing the same ancestry. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: A total of 532 schoolchildren from Russian Karelia and 532 schoolchildren in Finland matched for age, gender, and season of the blood sampling were included. INTERVENTIONS: There were no interventions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The prevalence of thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb), thyroglobulin antibodies (TGAb) and HLA-DQ alleles was measured. RESULTS: The prevalence of TPOAb was significantly lower in Russian Karelian than in Finnish children (0.4 vs. 2.6%, P=0.006). A similar difference was observed for TGAb (0.6 vs. 3.4%, P=0.002). Finnish girls tested positive for both TPOAb (4.3 vs. 0.4%, P=0.01) and TGAb (5.3 vs. 0.9%, P=0.01) more frequently than Finnish boys. Seven of the 23 tested subjects with signs of thyroid autoimmunity (30%) had increased serum TSH concentrations as a sign of subclinical hypothyroidism. The frequency of HLA genotypes did not differ between the two countries or between autoantibody-positive and -negative subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of thyroid autoimmunity is lower in Russian Karelia than in Finland. This difference was not related to ethnic background or HLA-DQ alleles. The results support the idea that the Russian Karelian environment, which is characterized by inferior prosperity and standard of hygiene, may provide protection against thyroid autoimmunity.
CONTEXT: The mechanisms leading to thyroid autoimmunity are largely unknown. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to assess the role of environment in the development of thyroid autoimmunity. DESIGN: Prevalence of thyroid autoantibodies in two neighboring populations living in completely different socioeconomic circumstances (Russian Karelia and Finland) was studied. SETTING: We studied two population-based cohorts partly sharing the same ancestry. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: A total of 532 schoolchildren from Russian Karelia and 532 schoolchildren in Finland matched for age, gender, and season of the blood sampling were included. INTERVENTIONS: There were no interventions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The prevalence of thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb), thyroglobulin antibodies (TGAb) and HLA-DQ alleles was measured. RESULTS: The prevalence of TPOAb was significantly lower in Russian Karelian than in Finnish children (0.4 vs. 2.6%, P=0.006). A similar difference was observed for TGAb (0.6 vs. 3.4%, P=0.002). Finnish girls tested positive for both TPOAb (4.3 vs. 0.4%, P=0.01) and TGAb (5.3 vs. 0.9%, P=0.01) more frequently than Finnish boys. Seven of the 23 tested subjects with signs of thyroid autoimmunity (30%) had increased serum TSH concentrations as a sign of subclinical hypothyroidism. The frequency of HLA genotypes did not differ between the two countries or between autoantibody-positive and -negative subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of thyroid autoimmunity is lower in Russian Karelia than in Finland. This difference was not related to ethnic background or HLA-DQ alleles. The results support the idea that the Russian Karelian environment, which is characterized by inferior prosperity and standard of hygiene, may provide protection against thyroid autoimmunity.
Authors: Simone A Johner; Michael Thamm; Peter Stehle; Ute Nöthlings; Eugen Kriener; Henry Völzke; Roland Gärtner; Thomas Remer Journal: Thyroid Date: 2014-06-05 Impact factor: 6.568
Authors: Tommi Vatanen; Aleksandar D Kostic; Eva d'Hennezel; Heli Siljander; Eric A Franzosa; Moran Yassour; Raivo Kolde; Hera Vlamakis; Timothy D Arthur; Anu-Maaria Hämäläinen; Aleksandr Peet; Vallo Tillmann; Raivo Uibo; Sergei Mokurov; Natalya Dorshakova; Jorma Ilonen; Suvi M Virtanen; Susanne J Szabo; Jeffrey A Porter; Harri Lähdesmäki; Curtis Huttenhower; Dirk Gevers; Thomas W Cullen; Mikael Knip; Ramnik J Xavier Journal: Cell Date: 2016-04-28 Impact factor: 41.582
Authors: George C Wang; Monica V Talor; Noel R Rose; Anne R Cappola; Roger B Chiou; Carlos Weiss; Jeremy D Walston; Linda P Fried; Patrizio Caturegli Journal: J Clin Endocrinol Metab Date: 2010-01-08 Impact factor: 5.958