Introduction:

hypothyroidism is a systemic, chronic disease characterized by decreased production of thyroid hormones, in many cases the immune disorder is part of the etiopathogenic mechanism of the disease. They are associated with other autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, thus generating a complex symptomatic courtship in which both conditions can coexist leading to significant degrees of functional disability and decreased perception of quality of life related to health.

Objective:

to describe the relationship between thyroid diseases and rheumatoid arthritis.

Method:

descriptive study in 265 patients with rheumatoid arthritis according to the criteria of the American College of Rheumatology to describe the relationship between this disease and disorders of the thyroid gland. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between both conditions.

Results:

average age of 58.39 years and of patients with hypothyroidism of 66.32 years. Predominance of female patients (76.98 %) and with evolution time between 3 and 5 years. The 29.81% of the cases presented a diagnosis of confirmed hypothyroidism, with predominance in female patients (86.08 %), age over 65 years (49.37 %) and time of evolution of rheumatoid arthritis greater than five years (53.16 %).

Conclusions:

there is a high percentage of patients with hypothyroidism and rheumatoid arthritis; although both conditions share common immunological mechanisms, there is no direct relationship between the two, and a causal relationship can´t be established between the two conditions.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )