CHRONIC URTICARIA AND THYROID AUTOIMMUNIT Y

Introduction. Chronic urticaria results from multiple interactive caus es. For certain authors dythyroidism is significantly more frequent in patients with chronic urticaria, often associated with other autoimmu ne disorders. Patients and methods. This study included 45 patients wi th chronic urticaria (29 men and 16 women, mean age 45.6 years). All u nderwent clinical examination for thyroid disease with assay of free T 3 and T4, ultrasensitive TSH and antimicrosome and antithyro-peroxidas e anthithyroid antibodies. Results. Among the 45 patients, 8, all wome n, had an autoimmune thyroid disease: Graves' disease (n = 1), juvenil e chronic thyroiditis (n = 1), autoimmune disease (n = 6). All had goi ter but most had no clinical sign suggestive of hypothyroidism or hype rthyroidism. Other clinical features or laboratory findings suggested autoimmune disorders in 3. Discussion. These results suggest that a co mplete thyroid examination with hormone assay, especially in women, sh ould be performed in patients with chronic urticaria. TSH and antipero xidase antibodies appear to be the most sensitive and specific assays in patients with autoimmune thyroid disease.