Scientists from Karolinska Institute found that drugs used against rheumatoid arthritis can prevent the development of autoimmune thyroid diseases. The study was published on: Journal of Internal Medicine.
People with rheumatoid arthritis are at high risk for other autoimmune diseases that cause thyroid dysfunction, such as Hashimoto’s disease and Graves’ disease. For rheumatoid arthritis, patients often take medications that reduce inflammation. But autoimmune thyroid diseases are usually treated only with medications that reduce or increase the levels of thyroid hormones.
In the new study, researchers used data from more than 13,000 rheumatoid arthritis patients and 63,000 healthy people from 2006 to 2018. They found that starting rheumatoid arthritis medications was associated with a decrease in the prevalence of autoimmune thyroid disease. Biological DMARDs were the most effective: Those taking them had a 46% lower risk of developing autoimmune thyroid disease than people without rheumatoid arthritis.
The research could lead to the repurposing of anti-rheumatic drugs to treat autoimmune thyroid diseases.
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