The association of neuropsychiatric disorders and endocrine parameters in hashimoto thyroiditis

Hashimoto thyroiditis is the most common thyroid disease. This form of pathology has a diverse clinical picture, including neuropsychiatric disorders. There are frequent cases of comorbidity of autoimmune thyroiditis and psychiatric forms of pathology, along with such a nosological entity as Hashimoto’s encephalopathy (aka: Steroid-responsive encephalopathy of autoimmune thyroiditis), characterized by an increased level of antithyroid autoantibodies and various mental disorders, with still unclear pathogenesis. The question arises, how to regard patients with psychiatric disorders and Hashimoto thyroiditis — either as patients having autoimmune thyroiditis, comorbid with psychiatric forms of pathology, or as patients with Hashimoto’s encephalopathy? We studied groups of patients with autoimmune thyroiditis free from any psychiatric disorders, autoimmune thyroiditis comorbid with psychiatric forms of pathology, and a group of healthy donors similar as regards to their age and sex. We also studied medical history, clinical manifestations of the disease, instrumental data and the serum levels of thyrotropin, thyroid hormones, various antithyroid autoantibodies, and prolactin. We analyzed the correlation of laboratory and instrumental parameters and clinical data in all groups of patients. There was a significant relationship (p < 0,05) between various psychiatric symptoms and a decreased level of free thyroxine, an increased level of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), an increased level of prolactin and an increased volume of a thyroid gland. A significant relationship (p < 0,05) was also found between various symptoms of hypothyroidism and a decreased level of free triiodothyronine (FT3), an increased level of antibodies to thyroglobulin (anti-TG Ab), and an increased level of antibodies to thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO Ab).