Isolated increased serum TSH response to TRH is prevalent in celiac disease and predicts poor response to treatment

Celiac disease (CD), or gluten-sensitive enteropathy, is an autoimmune disorder which involves the small bowel mucosa, sometimes associated with other autoimmune diseases. A supposed mechanism to explain this association is that gluten plays a key role in determining an immunological response directed against not only bowel mucosa cells but also beta-pancreatic cells, thyroid and other target-cells [1, 2]. Among these disorders, autoimmune thyroiditis occurs in 5-15% of celiac patients, both children and adults, more frequently with clinical signs of hypothyroidism rather than hyperthyroidis