prevalence of autoantibodies to thyroid peroxidase and autoimmune thyroid disease in girls with turner’s syndrome

patients with turner’s syndrome (ts) are at an increased risk of developing autoimmune thyroid disease (atd). the aim of this study was to determine the frequency of anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-tpo) antibodies and atd in children and adolescent girls with ts. it also assessed the influence of karyotype on the development of thyroid disease. sixty eight patients with ts were compared with 68 age matched healthy unrelated girls in this study. they were screened for anti-tpo antibodies, free t4 and tsh levels. sign and symptoms of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism and the presence of goiter were also investigated. anti-tpo antibodies were found in 18 (26.4%) ts patients and 1 (1.4%) patient in the control group (p < 0.001), evenly distributed between the karyotypes 45x, 46x, isoxq and mosaicism. out of 68 ts patients, 8 (11.7%) had visible goiter. subclinical hypothyroidism and hypothyroidism both occurred in 2 patients (5.9%). these patients were characterized by higher levels of anti-tpo antibodies. visible goiter was found in 3 (4.4%) subjects of the control group, but all of them were euthyroid. we found that younger patients were more likely to be anti-tpo negative (p < 0.001). our data demonstrated a high frequency of atd in a representative sample of iranian girls with ts which is in accordance with previous observations. regular follow up assessment of thyroid autoantibodies and thyroid function in patients with ts is recommended for timely diagnosis of thyroid dysfunction and treatment.