The prevalence of hyper- and hypothyroidism in patients with ulcerative colitis

Background: The association between ulcerative colitis and thyroid disorders has been previously reported. However, most reports consist of single case description, and a systematic assessment of this relationship has only sporadically been investigated. Aims: To study a cohort of patients with ulcerative colitis to establish the prevalence of hyper- and hypothyroidism. Material and methods: During a four-year period, we studied thyroid function in 162 ulcerative colitis patients (62 men, 100 women, age range 18-78 years). Results: Thyroid dysfunction was present in 4 patients (2.5%) of the overall population and was represented by both hypo- (3 patients) and hyperthyroidism (11 patient). The incidence of this kind of thyroid dysfunction was significantly (p=0.03) lower than that found in a Large (more than 5000 subjects) control group. Conclusions: We conclude that the prevalence of hyper-/hypothyroidism is relatively low in patients with ulcerative colitis, at least in our country, and does not justify a systematic investigation of the thyroid function, except in selected cases, probably those with scarce or no response to standard therapeutic measures. (C) 2008 European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.