The relation between chronic urticaria and thyroid autoimmunity

Many studies have been carried out to find out the etiology and pathogenesis of chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU), but no definitive cause or mechanism could be detected yet. Therefore, studies into the etiology and pathogenesis of CIU are still important. This study was made to resarch the association between CIU and thyroid autoimmmunity.This study registered 100 adult patients, 71 of whom were females and 29 males, who presented at the Dermatology Clinic of Fırat University Medical School Hospital from June 2005 to June 2007. The patients were evaluated on the bases of anamnesis, physical examination and laboratory investigations directed towards CIU etiology. Thyroid autoantibodies (anti-TG antibody and anti-TPO antibody) were measured using an automatic TRİTURUS ELISA apparatus at the Immunology Laboratory of Fırat University Hospital, free T3, free T4 and TSH were measured using an Immulite 2000 apparatus at the Biochemistry Hormone Laboratory of Fırat University Hospital. Statistical analyses were conducted with SPSS 11.0 package software.A comparison of the values in the patient and control groups revealed that mean serum levels of free T4, anti-TG and anti-TPO antibody in the CIU patients were statistically significantly higher than those in the control group (p=0.012, p=0.04, p=0.02, respectively). It was seen that there was no significant difference in mean serum free T3 levels (p>0.05). Mean serum TSH levels were found statistically significantly lower in CIU patients, relative to the control group (p=0.010). Because of this, variable frequency of thyroid autoantibody positivity can be determined in the CU patients.Eventually, thyroid autoimmünity must be researched and immunological tests must be done about etiology in the all CU patients who have thyroid disease story and the patients resistant to classical treatments.