Background: Vitamin D deficiency is a global health problem with evidence being increasingly pointed towards vitamin D as a significant role in reducing the incidence of autoimmune diseases. Research on its role in autoimmune thyroid disease gives contradictory results. We aimed to study the association between vitamin D deficiency and autoimmune hypothyroidism by comparing vitamin D deficiency between anti TPO positive and negative hypothyroid patients and to assess the relation between vitamin D levels and anti TPO levels in anti TPO positive hypothyroidism.

Methods: A total of 100 patients, 50 of them anti-TPO positive and 50 anti-TPO negative were included in the study. Serum anti-TPO, serum 25(OH)D, serum fT4 and TSH was measured using immunoassay.

Results: The mean serum 25(OH)D level was 25.5ng/ml with a higher prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency (40%). A significant association could be demonstrated between vitamin D insufficiency and autoimmune hypothyroidism both in younger and older females of the reproductive age group but not in males and postmenopausal females We observed only a weak negative correlation between 25(OH)D and anti-TPO titres. TSH was found to be significantly higher in autoimmune hypothyroid patients than in non-autoimmune counterparts (t= 2.15, p =0.034) and a strong positive correlation noticed between anti-TPO titres and TSH levels (p = 0.016; r = 0.24*).

Conclusion: Autoimmunity is closely related to thyroid function and increasing autoimmunity directly related to worsening thyroid function. Noticeable association between vitamin D insufficiency and autoimmune hypothyroidism encourages vitamin D supplementation for them

Keywords: Vit D deficiency, hypothyroidism, autoimmunity.

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Ratheesh Narayanan Santhanavally