Ivica Lazúrová, Karim Benhatchi
Autoimmune thyreoditis (AIT) is considered as the most frequent organic specific autoimmune disease. It is also the commonest cause of goiter in countries with lack of iodine. It is known that AIT is often associated with the presence of other organic non-specific and organic specific auto-antibodies. The most frequent organic non-specific antibodies are antinuclear antibodies (ANA). Their clinical significance in AIT has not been clear so far. In patients with AIT clinical rheumatic manifestations develop which are associated with dysfunction of thyroid gland, with thyroidal autoimmunity and they can also be symptoms of intercurrent systemic disease of connective tissue. Proved association is that of AIT with Sjögren´s syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis and SLE. Presumptive association is that of AIT with systemic sclerosis and polymyositis. Significantly higher prevalence of AIT was proved in patients with systemic diseases of connective tissue which results in need of standard screening of thyroidal autoimmunity mostly in patients with SLE, rheumatoid arthritis and Sjögren´s syndrome.