Journal of Thyroid Disorders & Therapy
Open Access

Abstract

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and Nodular Pathology: A Prospective Study in 227 Subjects

Ciampolillo A, Barbaro M, Di Trani A, Patruno P and Giorgino F

The association between Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis (HT) and Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma (PTC) remains controversial. The aim of this prospective study is to determine if there is a risk to develop a thyroid carcinoma in subjects affected by nodular pathology and HT. Methods: 227 subjects (192 females and 35 males) affected by thyroid nodular pathology were submitted to FNAB (Fine Needle Agobiopsy) to define the cytology of the nodules. TSH, and serum anti-thyroid antibodies were measured. If they had positive serum anti-thyroglobulin (Ab anti-TG) and/or anti-thyroperoxidase (Ab anti-TPO) antibodies and had a TSH <4 uUml were included in the study and they were defined as patient affected by autoimmune thyroiditis (HT) in euthyroidism. No patients assumed substitutive therapy with l-thyroxine. All patients gave their informed consent to the study. The patients were classified in 2 groups: Group A: 103 patients (mean age 55.2 ± 13.2 years, 91.3% females, 8.7% males) affected by HT and Group B: 124 patients (mean age 59.3 ± 13.3 years, 79% females and 21% males) without thyroiditis. Results: The nodular pathology is more represented, as attended, in females (91,3% vs. 8,7% in Group A and 79% vs. 21% in Group B). TSH levels were different between Group A and Group B (2.9 vs. 1.5 μUI/ml, p<0.001) but they were similar in patients with or without thyroid carcinoma (3.1 vs. 2.3, p=0.3). The benign pathology was diagnosed in the 94.2% in the Group A and in the 96% in the Group B whereas the malignant nodular pathology was present in the 5.8% in the group A and in the 4% in the Group B without any significant statistical difference. Conclusion: Our study suggests that the associationof HT and nodular pathology do not represent a risk to develop a thyroid carcinoma.