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This version published online on December 11, 2007
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, doi:10.1210/jc.2007-1644
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Right arrow Thyroid
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Submitted on July 31, 2007
Accepted on December 5, 2007

Serological Evidence of Thyroid Autoimmunity Among Schoolchildren in Two Different Socio-Economic Environments

Anita Kondrashova, Hanna Viskari, Anna-Maija Haapala, Tapio Seiskari, Petri Kulmala, Jorma Ilonen, Mikael Knip, and Heikki Hyöty*

Department of Virology (A.K., H.V., T.S., H.H.), University of Tampere, Medical School, Tampere, Finland; Department of Pediatrics (A.K.), University of Petrozavodsk, Petrozavodsk, Russia; Department of Clinical Microbiology (A-M.H., H.H.), Center for Laboratory Medicine, Tampere Pirkanmaa Hospital District, Tampere, Finland; Department of Pediatrics (P.K.), University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland; Department of Clinical Microbiology, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland and Immunogenetics Laboratory (J.I.), University of Turku, Turku, Finland; Department of Pediatrics, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland, and Hospital for Children and Adolescents (M.K.), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: Heikki.Hyoty{at}uta.fi.

Context: The mechanisms leading to thyroid autoimmunity are largely unknown.

Objective: To assess the role of environment in the development of thyroid autoimmunity.

Design: Prevalence of thyroid autoantibodies in two neighboring populations living in completely different socio-economic circumstances (Russian Karelia and Finland).

Setting: Two population-based cohorts sharing partly the same ancestry.

Patients or Other Participants: 532 schoolchildren from Russian Karelia and 532 schoolchildren in Finland matched for the age, gender, and season of the blood sampling.

Interventions: None.

Main Outcome Measures: Prevalence of thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb), thyroglobulin antibodies (TGAb), and HLA-DQ alleles.

Results: The prevalence of TPOAb was significantly lower in Russian Karelian than in Finnish children (0.4% vs. 2.6%, P=0.006). A similar difference was observed for TGAb (0.6% vs. 3.4%, P=0.002). Finnish girls tested more frequently positive for both TPOAb (4.3% vs. 0.4%, P=0.01) and TGAb (5.3% vs. 0.9%, P=0.01) than boys. Seven of the 23 tested subjects with signs of thyroid autoimmunity (30%) had increased serum TSH concentrations as a sign of subclinical hypothyroidism. The frequency of HLA genotypes did not differ between the two countries or between autoantibody-positive and -negative subjects.

Conclusions: The prevalence of thyroid autoimmunity is lower in Russian Karelia than in Finland. This difference was not related to ethnic background or HLA-DQ alleles. The results support the idea that the Russian Karelian environment which is characterized by inferior prosperity and standard of hygiene may provide protection against thyroid autoimmunity.
Key words: Thyroid autoimmunity • gene-environment interactions • HLA genes • prosperity • hygiene






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