Frequency of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis in Women with Vitamin D Deficiency: A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: Vitamin D deficiency has been reported to be associated with different autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between Hashimoto's thyroiditis and vitamin D deficiency. Material and Methods: This case-control study was carried out in tertiary hospitals from 2011 to 2012. A total of 198 female subjects were included, of whom 84 and 114 participants were healthy or had vitamin D deficiency, respectively. Serum vitamin D levels, parathyroid hormone concentrations thyroid hormone levels and thyroid auto-antibodies were measured in all subjects. Results: Demographic characteristics of participants were not significantly different between the control and study groups (p > 0,05). Frequency of Hashimoto's thyroiditis was similar in both groups (p = 0.958). Thyroid auto-antibodies did not correlate with vitamin D levels (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Although vitamin D deficiency is associated with some of autoimmune diseases, Hashimoto's thyroiditis was not found to be associated with vitamin D deficiency in female patients in this study.