Thyroid autoimmunity in children with coexisting type 1 diabetes mellitus and celiac disease: A multicenter study

Background. Children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) are more prone to developing thyroid autoimmunity (TAI); TAI also occurs more frequently in patients with celiac disease (CD). Aim: To determine whether TAI occurs more frequently in children with coexisting DM1 and CD compared to children with DM1 only, and whether the clinical course of DM1 is influenced by concomitant TAI. Patients and Methods: We performed a multicenter retrospective case-control study comparing data from 84 diabetic children with CD (group 1) to 167 diabetic children without CD (group 2), matched by age at DM1 onset, duration of DM1 and center. Markers of TAI, thyroid function and HbA(1c) were recorded. The TAI follow-up lasted 4.9 +/- 2.8 years. Results: TAI was diagnosed in 13% of children in group 1 and 19% of children in group 2 (ns). Diabetes control was not influenced by TAI in either group. Conclusions: Occurrence of TAI in diabetic children is not related to coexisting CD. TAI does not lead to worsening of metabolic control in children with DM1.