Association of Chronic Urticaria and / or Angioedema with Thyroid Autoimmunity

Auto – immune disorders have been implicated as a cause for chronic uricaria and/ or angioedema and thyroid autoimmunity has been increasingly introduced to be associated with that. This study explores the association of thyroid autoimmunity with chronic urticaria and / or angioedema in Isfahani patients.

Anti – thyroperoxidase (Ani – TPO) and anti – thyroglobulin (Anti – Tg) antibodies, T4 and TSH were detected in 57 patients with chronic urticaria and / or angioedema and were compared with that of normal subjects without chronic urticaria or other autoimmune diseases.

Anti – TPO and Anti – Tg antibodies had been increased in 26 (45.6%) and 28 (49%) of patients in case group, as compared to 8 (13.2%) and 10 (16.7%) of subjects in control group, respectively. In total, raised titers of thyroid autoantibodies were found in 34 (60%) and 12 (20%) of subjects in case and control groups, respectively.

Considering the high prevalence of thyroid autoantibodies in patients with chronic urticaria and / or angioedema, these antibodies should be detected in affected patients, specially in young and middle– aged women.