Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis Commonly Associated With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disorder where the pancreatic beta cells which produce insulin, are destroyed by patient’s own immune system. Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (Type 1 D) commonly associated with many autoimmune diseases. An autoimmune disease is a Condition arising from an abnormal immune response to a normal body part. A prominent autoimmune disease associated with type 1 DM includes celiac disease, Hashimoto Thyroiditis, Graves’s disease, idiopathic Addison disease & Pernicious Anemia. The most frequently associated autoimmune disorder with type 1 diabetes is Hashimoto Thyroiditis. A disorder in which the immune system turns against the body’s own butterfly-shaped gland in the neck (thyroid).This can leads to the hypothyroidism in which the thyroid gland does not make enough thyroid hormone for the bodies need. For the diagnosis of Hashimoto Thyroiditis, Anti-TPO antibodies are determined in the patient’s serum.

These are the most common anti-thyroid autoantibody, present in approximately 90% of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. In many studies, it was concluded that the incidence of hashimoto’s Thyroiditis among T1D patients is high. Age-stratified incidence of Thyroiditis was comparable at all ages in both males and females, with an approximately two times higher incidence in females. A study on 50 Type 1 Diabetic patients in SSG Hospital, Vadodara between April 2007 and September 2008, was concluded that the prevalence of auto-immune thyroid disease in type 1 diabetics was 60% with 40% having thyroid disorders.

By – Assistant Professor – Shikha Paliwal
MLT Department
Uttaranchal (P.G.) College Of Bio-Medical Sciences & Hospital