Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of autoimmune thyroid disease in Turner syndrome (TS) and the association between thyroid autoantibodies (TAA), thyroid dysfunction, age, and karyotype.
Methods: Sixty-nine girls with TS were divided into two groups according to being TAA-positive or TAA-negative. TAA and thyroid hormone concentrations were determined by immunochemiluminescence.
Results: One third (23/69) of the girls were TAA positive, with antibody prevalence increasing with age. Of the TAA-positive girls, seven were hypothyroid and three hyperthyroid. Compared with the TAA-negative group, the girls in the TAA-positive group were significantly older (p<0.05). For those who were TAA positive, 26.3% of patients were 5-10 years old, 37.1% 10-15 years old, and 62.5% above the age of 15 years.
Conclusion: Chinese girls with TS are prone to Hashimoto's thyroiditis, especially those older than 5 years, and routine thyroid testing is advocated thereafter on a yearly basis. There was no specific association between the incidence of autoimmune thyroid disease and TS karyotypes.