Investigation of neopterin levels in children with hashimoto thyroiditis

Hashimoto Thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease caused by genetic and environmental factors and is known as the most common cause of hypothyroidism in childhood. Neopterin has the structure 2-amino-4-oxo-6 (1,2,3-trihydroxypropyl) pteridine and has a molecular weight of about 253 daltons. Activated lymphocytes are produced by human monocytes / macrophages and dendritic cells from guanosine triphosphate (GTP) upon stimulation by Th-released interferon gamma (IFNy). Neopterin has been measured in many autoimmune diseases and has been identified as a marker of cellular immune activation. The aim of this study was to investigate the autoimmune association of neopterin in patients with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis aged 5-18 years. For this purpose, Neopterin levels were measured in 80 individuals, 40 of whom were followed up with the diagnosis of Hashimoto Thyroiditis and 40 of whom were not diagnosed with Hashimoto Thyroiditis. When the neopterin levels were examined, there was an insignificant correlation between the patient and the control group (p> 0.05). In conclusion, neopterin cannot be used as an autoimmune biomarker in patients with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis in the 5-18 age group.