help button home button Endocrine Society JCEM ENDO 08
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH
This version published online on April 22, 2008
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, doi:10.1210/jc.2008-0060
This Article
Right arrow Author Manuscript (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a related Letter to the Editor
Right arrow Purchase Article
Right arrow View Shopping Cart
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Request Copyright Permission
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Agate, L.
Right arrow Articles by Pinchera, A.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Agate, L.
Right arrow Articles by Pinchera, A.
Related Collections
Right arrow Autoimmunity
Right arrow Pediatric Endocrinology
Right arrow Thyroid

Submitted on January 9, 2008
Accepted on April 11, 2008

THYROID AUTOANTIBODIES (ATA) AND THYROID FUNCTION IN SUBJECTS EXPOSED TO CHERNOBYL FALLOUT DURING CHILDHOOD: EVIDENCE FOR A TRANSIENT RADIATION-INDUCED ELEVATION OF SERUM THYROID ANTIBODIES WITHOUT AN INCREASE IN THYROID AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE

Laura Agate, Stefano Mariotti, Rossella Elisei, Paola Mossa, Furio Pacini, Eleonora Molinaro, Lucia Grasso, Lucio Masserini, Tatiana Mokhort, Tatiana Vorontsova, Alexander Arynchyn, Mycola D. Tronko, Anatoly Tsyb, Ulla Feldt-Rasmussen, Anders Juul, and Aldo Pinchera*

Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism (AP, LA, RE, EM, LG), University of Pisa 56100 Pisa, Italy; Endocrinology, Department of Medical Sciences "M. Aresu" (PM, SM), University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy; Departments of Internal Medicine, Endocrinology and Metabolism, and Biochemistry (FP), University of Siena (FP), 53100 Siena, Italy; Department of Statistics and Applied Mathematics to Economy (LM), University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy; Research Institute of Radiation Medicine (TM, TV, AA), 220600 Minsk, Belarus; Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism (MDT), Academy of Medical Sciences of the Ukraine, 254114 Kiev, Ukraine; Medical Radiological Research Center (AT), 249020 Obninsk, Kaluga Region, Russia; Department of Medical Endocrinology (UF-R), Rigshospitalet, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Growth and Reproduction (AJ), Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: a.pinchera{at}endoc.med.unipi.it.

Context: An increase in the prevalence of thyroid autoantibodies (ATA) was reported 6–8 years Chernobyl accident in radiation-exposed children and adolescents.

Objective: To re-assess the effects of childhood radiation exposure on ATA and thyroid function 13–15 years after the accident.

Design and Setting: We measured the anti-thyroglobulin (TgAb) and anti-thyroperoxidase (TPOAb) antibodies and thyrotropin (TSH) in 1433 sera collected between 1999 and 2001 from 13–17 year-old adolescents born between 1982 and October 1986 in paired contaminated and non-contaminated villages of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia (CIS countries). 1441 sera were collected from age- and sex-matched controls living in Denmark and Sardinia (Italy). Free thyroxine and free triiodothyronine were measured when TSH was abnormal.

Results: TPOAb prevalence was higher in contaminated than in non-contaminated Belarusian children (6.4% vs. 2.4%, p=0.02), but lower than previously reported (11%) in a different contaminated Belarus village. No difference in TPOAb prevalence was found in Ukrainian and Russian villages. TgAb showed no difference between contaminated and not contaminated Belarus and Ukraine, while in Russia they showed a relative increase in the exposed subjects with respect to unexposed who showed an unexpectedly lower prevalence of TgAb. Besides radiation exposure, female gender was the only variable significantly correlated with ATA in all groups. ATA prevalence in non-exposed villages of CIS countries did not differ from that found in Sardinia and Denmark. With few exceptions, thyroid function was normal in all study groups.

Conclusion: TPOAb prevalence in adolescents exposed to radioactive fallout was still increased in Belarus 13–15 years after the Chernobyl accident. This increase was less evident than previously reported and was not accompanied by thyroid dysfunction. Our data suggest that radioactive fallout elicited a transient autoimmune reaction, without triggering full-blown thyroid autoimmune disease. Longer observation periods are needed to exclude later effects.
Key words: thyroiditis • autoimmunity • nuclear accident • Chernobyl






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH
Endocrinology Endocrine Reviews J. Clin. End. & Metab.
Molecular Endocrinology Recent Prog. Horm. Res. All Endocrine Journals
Copyright © 2008 by The Endocrine Society