Level of selected pro-inflammatory markers in middle-aged women with Hashimoto’s disease

Introduction
Hashimoto’s disease is an autoimmune disease in which the body produces antibodies against its own tissues, in this case against thyrocytes. Autoimmune diseases are associated with impaired immune tolerance. The aim of this study was to analyse selected pro-inflammatory markers in women with Hashimoto’s (HT) autoimmune thyroiditis compared to a group of healthy women.

Material and methods
In this research study 41 women with HT were compared with 30 healthy women. The content of immunological markers was assessed in blood serum by enzyme-linked ELISA methods. Cytokine IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-a were assessed.

Results
The concentration of IL-1β for women with HT was 3.1 (1.8-4.9) pg/ml, and for healthy women 1.0 (0.1-1.9) pg/ml. The concentration of IL-6 for women with HT was 12.1 (6.7-19.4) pg/ml, and for healthy women 3.8 (2.5-6.7) pg/ml. TNF-a concentration was higher for people with HT, at 3.4 (2.0-4.4) pg/ml, compared to healthy women, who had a level of 2.2 (1.2-3.4) pg/ml), but without significant statistical differences.

Conclusions
In HT we observe an increased immune response associated with an elevated concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokines.