Key clinical point: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were at an increased risk of developing all types of thyroid dysfunctions, with the risk being the highest for hypothyroidism, followed by subclinical hypothyroidism, subclinical hyperthyroidism, and hyperthyroidism.
Major finding: Patients with RA vs non-RA control individuals were at a higher risk of developing thyroid dysfunctions such as hypothyroidism (pooled OR [pOR] 2.25; 95% CI 1.78-2.84), subclinical hypothyroidism (pOR 2.18; 95% CI 1.32-3.61), subclinical hyperthyroidism (pOR 2.13; 95% CI 1.25-3.63), and hyperthyroidism (OR 1.65; 95% CI 1.24-2.19).
Study details: Findings are from a systematic review and meta-analysis of 29 studies that evaluated thyroid dysfunction in patients with RA (n = 35,708) and non-RA control individuals (n = 149,421).
Disclosures: This study was supported by grants from the Science and Technology Bureau of Quanzhou and the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province. The authors declared no conflict of interests.
Source: Liu Y-j et al. Association between rheumatoid arthritis and thyroid dysfunction: A meta-analysis and systematic review. Front Endocrinol . 2022;13:1015516 (Oct 13). Doi: 10.3389/fendo.2022.1015516