Background:
Association between Sarcoidosis and other autoimmune diseases has been previously
described and a common pathogenesis has been hypothesized.
Objectives:
A descriptive retrospective study has been conducted to evaluate the incidence of
thyroid diseases in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis.
Methods:
We conducted a retrospective chart review of all patients diagnosed with sarcoidosis
between 2004 and 2011at the Morgagni Hospital, Forlì. Co-morbidities and extra-thoracic
involvement were examined. Patients who were also diagnosed as having an autoimmune
thyroid disease were selected.
Results:
39 out of 246 (15,9%) patients with sarcoidosis were identified as having autoimmune
thyroid disease, 9 male and 30 female. Sarcoidosis presented as Löfgren's syndrome
in 6 patients patients (15,4%). 3 patients developed Graves' disease (7.7%), 12 patients
developed Hashimoto's thyroiditis with hypothyroidism (30.8%) and 24 patients had
thyroid nodules with normal thyroid function (61.5%).
Conclusions:
Our study suggests that sarcoidosis may be associated with autoimmune thyroid diseases
at some time of its evolution, either as hyper-thyroidism or hypothyroidism.
We are now following up sarcoidosis patients with no thyroid diseases to see if any
thyroid disease can develop after the diagnosis or during the period of activity of
sarcoidosis.
