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Abstract
It has been suggested that autoimmune thyroid disease could be combined with other autoimmune diseases such as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, sarcoidosis and inflammatory bowel disease. In inflammatory bowel diseases, ulcerative colitis is more strongly associated with autoimmune thyroid diseases than Crohn's disease. However, there is no clear explanation for the concurrent existence of the two diseases, although immunological mechanisms seem to play a significant role. We report here on a case of a 48-years-old woman who had ulcerative colitis with Graves' disease. Her chief complaint was abdominal pain and mucinous diarrhea. She was diagnosed with Graves' disease 1 year ago and had been taking medication. Colonoscopic biopsy was performed and she was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. We suggest that a clinician should be aware of the coexistence of Graves' disease and ulcerative colitis in some patients, which is obviously very important for the patient's outcome.
Figures and Tables
Fig. 1
Thyroid sonographic findings. Transverse sonogram of the right thyroid lobe shows thyroid gland enlargement with heterogeneous echogenicity. Transverse doppler sonogram of the right thyroid lobe shows markedly increased blood flow. The thickness of the isthmus of thyroid is showed as 0.8 cm.
Fig. 2
Colonoscopic findings. Diffuse inflammation and ulceration was observed at rectum from anus to upper part above 20 cm.
Fig. 3
Pathologic findings. A, dense lymphoplasmacytic inflammation involves the entire biopsy. Some crypts are branched (architectural distortion), indicating previous injury and regeneration. (H&E stain, ×40) B, neutrophils perforate the crypt epithelium (cryptitis). Diffuse lymphoplasmacytic inflammation, and a prominent germinal center is also present. (H&E stain, ×100)
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