Serum thyroid autoantibodies are not associated with anemia, hematinic deficiencies, and hyperhomocysteinemia in patients with Behcet's disease

Background/purpose: Our previous study found that 13 of 63 recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS)/Behcet's disease (BD) patients have thyroglobulin antibody (TGA) positivity and/or thyroid microsomal antibody (TMA) positivity (TGA/TMA positivity) but without gastric parietal cell antibody positivity. This study mainly assessed whether the serum TGA/TMA positivity was significantly associated with anemia, hematinic deficiencies, and hyperhomocysteinemia in TGA/TMA-positive RAS/BD patients. Materials and methods: The mean blood hemoglobin (Hb), iron, vitamin B12, folic acid, and homocysteine levels were measured and compared between 13 TGA/TMA-positive RAS/BD patients and 41 gastric and thyroid antibodies-negative RAS/BD patients (Abs־RAS/BD patients) or 126 healthy control subjects. Results: We found no significant differences in the mean blood Hb, iron, vitamin B12, folic acid, and homocysteine leve1s as well as no significant differences in the frequencies of blood Hb and folic acid deficiencies and of hyperhomocysteinemia between 13 TGA/TMA-positive RAS/BD patients and 41 Abs־RAS/BD patients. The 41 Abs־RAS/BD patients even had a significantly greater frequency of serum iron deficiency than the 13 TGA/TMA-positive RAS/BD patients. Moreover, although a significant greater frequency of anemia was demonstrated in 13 TGA/TMA-positive RAS/BD patients than in 126 healthy control subjects, there were no significant differences in the mean serum iron, vitamin B12, folic acid, and homocysteine levels as well as no significant differences in the frequencies of serum iron and folic acid deficiencies and of hyperhomocysteinemia between 13 TGA/TMA-positive RAS/BD patients and 126 healthy control subjects. Conclusion: The serum TGA/TMA-positivity is not significantly associated with anemia, hematinic deficiencies, and hyperhomocysteinemia in TGA/TMA-positive RAS/BD patients.