Celiac disease and the endocrinologist: a diagnostic opportunity.

Objective: To review the association of celiac disease and various endocrine disorders and present the related clinical experience of a 3-physician adult endocrinology practice.

Methods: We provide an overview of the pertinent literature, discuss the clinical manifestations, genetics, and pathogenesis of celiac disease, and describe our clinical experience during a 5-year period.

Results: Celiac disease has been associated with numerous disorders, including several conditions treated by endocrinologists-type 1 diabetes mellitus, autoimmune thyroid disease, Addison disease, osteomalacia, secondary hyperparathyroidism, vitamin D or iron deficiency, fertility problems, hypogonadism in men, and autoimmune hypopituitarism.

The effect of skin allografting on the equine endometrial cup reaction.

This research tested the hypothesis that immunological sensitization of mares by skin allografting, followed by the establishment of pregnancy using semen from the skin-graft donor, would give rise to secondary immune responses to the developing horse conceptus, resulting in an earlier demise of the fetally derived endometrial cups. Maiden mares received skin allografts from a stallion homozygous for Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) antigens and/or equivalent autografts and were subsequently mated to the skin-graft donor stallion during the next two breeding seasons. Mares that had been immunologically primed to the foreign MHC class I antigens of the skin-graft donor stallion developed strong secondary antibody responses early in their first pregnancies, whereas autografted mares made weak primary antibody responses in their first pregnancies and strong secondary responses in their second pregnancies.

Interferon induced Autoimmune Thyroid Disease (AITD): a model for human autoimmunity.

Interferon (IFN) alpha treatment for various conditions has been associated with thyroid autoimmunity. The incidence of interferon induced thyroid autoimmunity has been reported to range from 2.5% to 42%, possibly depending upon dose and duration of medical therapy and patient characteristics.

The effects of alpha interferon on the development of autoimmune thyroiditis in the NOD H2h4 mouse.

Alpha interferon (alphaIFN) therapy is known to induce thyroid autoimmunity in up to 40% of patients. The mechanism is unknown, but Th1 switching has been hypothesized. The aim of our study was to examine whether alphaIFN accelerated the development of thyroiditis in genetically susceptible mice.