Seroprevalence of Lyme disease in Eastern Slovakia.

Objective: Lyme disease (LD) is chronic, multi-system zoonosis transmitted by ticks, and LD aetiological agents are spirochetes of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. The aim of the cross-sectional study was to analyze the LD incidence on the basis of the presence of specific antibodies in the serum of patients in Eastern Slovakia, and to compare the results of serological ELISA and immunoblot assays.

Methods: Venous blood with questionnaires was obtained by field sampling of respondents from Eastern Slovakia.

Autoimmune thyroid disease and rheumatoid arthritis: relationship and the role of genetics.

Autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD), known as the most common organ-specific autoimmune disorder, is frequently accompanied by other organ and non-organ-specific autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Although the exact pathogenic mechanisms of the coexistence of autoimmune disorders are still not completely defined, genetics, immune defects, hormones and environmental factors may play key roles in polyautoimmunity. In this review, the prevalence of AITD and antithyroid autoantibodies in RA patients and rheumatic manifestations in association with thyroid autoimmunity are discussed.

Autoimmune thyroid diseases and nonorgan‑specific autoimmunity.

Autoimmune thyroid diseases (ATD), as the most common organ‑specific autoimmune disorder, is frequently accompanied by other organ- and nonorgan‑specific autoimmune diseases. Although the exact pathogenic mechanism of the coexistence of autoimmune disorders has not been clearly defined, genetic and environmental factors, immune defects, and hormonal changes, may play a key role in polyautoimmunity. The role of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) haplotypes, HLA-B8 and -DR3, in the overlapping of autoimmune disorders was well supported by higher frequency of these haplotypes in primary Sjögren's syndrome (PSS) and ATD.

CTLA4 exon1 A49G polymorphism in Slovak patients with rheumatoid arthritis and Hashimoto thyroiditis-results and the review of the literature.

Autoimmune thyroid diseases frequently overlaps with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Among genetic factors, the role of the HLA antigens and CTLA4 gene polymorphisms in the overlapping has been suggested. The aim of this study was to investigate the alleles and genotypes frequency of the CTLA4 exon1 A49G polymorphism in Slovak patients with RA, Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT), both (RA + HT) and in healthy controls.

Autoimmune thyroid disease and autoimmune rheumatic disorders: a two-sided analysis.

Unlabelled: Chronic autoimmune thyroiditis (ATD) frequently overlaps with autoimmune rheumatic diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of various non-organ-specific autoantibodies in patients with ATD, as well as the presence of ATD in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Subjects And Methods: Group 1 comprised 80 patients with ATD, and group 2 contained 80 patients with SLE or RA.