Prevalence of autoimmune thyroiditis in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the women's most common endocrine disorders, which may be is associated with some autoimmune diseases such as autoimmune thyroiditis disorders (AIT). This study was performed with aim to evaluate the prevalence of autoimmune thyroiditis in women with PCOS by a systematic review and meta-analysis.

This review study was performed based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist. The research documents were collected by searching Persian-language databases such as Magiran, Sid, Iranmedex, and English-language databases such as Web of Science, Pubmed Scopus, and Google Scholar from January 1 until August 1, 2022. All studies were evaluated by the Newcastle-Ottawa scale at the four levels of selection, comparison, exposure, and outcome. Data analysis was performed with comprehensive meta-analysis (CMA) software (version 3.1).

A total of 9 studies with 2290 participants were included in the meta-analysis. The prevalence of AIT in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome was 26.4% (95% CI: 21.3-32.2) and in healthy women was 11.7% (95% CI: 8.1-16.7). Subgroup studies demonstrated a higher prevalence of AIT in younger patients. Meta-regression analysis also showed a significant association between the study area and the prevalence of AIT.

There is a significant association between the increased prevalence of AIT in patients with PCOS. This shows the importance of evaluating and monitoring thyroid function in patients with PCOS.