Publications (40) View all
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Article: Gluten-free diet and autoimmune thyroiditis in patients with celiac disease. A prospective controlled study.
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ABSTRACT: Early diagnosis and dietary treatment with a gluten-free diet might slow down the progression of associated autoimmune diseases in celiac disease, but the data are contradictory. We investigated the course of autoimmune thyroid diseases in newly diagnosed celiac disease patients before and after gluten-free dietary treatment. Twenty-seven consecutive adults with newly diagnosed celiac disease were investigated at the time of diagnosis and after 1 year on gluten-free diet. Earlier diagnosed and subclinical autoimmune thyroid diseases were recorded and examined. Thyroid gland volume and echogenicity were measured by ultrasound. Autoantibodies against celiac disease and thyroiditis, and thyroid function tests were determined. For comparison, 27 non-celiac controls on normal gluten-containing diet were examined. At the time of diagnosis, the celiac disease patients had more manifest (n = 7) or subclinical (n = 3) thyroid diseases than the controls (10/27 vs. 3/27, p = 0.055). During the follow-up, the thyroid volume decreased significantly in the patients with celiac disease compared with the controls, indicating the progression of thyroid gland atrophy despite the gluten-free diet. Celiac patients had an increased risk of thyroid autoimmune disorders. A gluten-free diet seemed not to prevent the progression of autoimmune process during a follow-up of 1 year.Scandinavian journal of gastroenterology 11/2011; 47(1):43-8. · 2.08 Impact Factor -
Article: Increased cancer incidence in acromegaly--a nationwide survey.
Clinical Endocrinology 05/2009; 72(2):278-9. · 3.17 Impact Factor -
Article: Graves' disease.
New England Journal of Medicine 10/2008; 359(13):1408-9; author reply 1409. · 53.30 Impact Factor -
Article: Mechanisms of ethanol-induced degeneration in the developing, mature, and aging cerebellum.
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ABSTRACT: The adverse effects of acute and chronic ethanol exposure on cerebellar functions have been acknowledged for decades, in terms of impaired control of movement and balance. In addition to the motor impairment, cerebellar degeneration has recently been shown to contribute to distinct neuropsychological deficits in chronic alcoholics, as well as in children with prenatal ethanol exposure. The basic mechanisms underlying these ethanol-induced functional alterations and the related neuropathology in the cerebellum have mostly been clarified only recently. These mechanisms include: (i) excitotoxicity; (ii) dietary factors, especially thiamine depletion; (iii) glial abnormalities; (iv) changes in growth factors; (v) apoptotic mechanisms; (vi) oxidative stress; and (vii) compromised energy production. Although these mechanisms widely apply not only to the mature cerebellum, but also to the developing and the aging cerebella, the developing and the aged cerebellum have some special characteristics, which may make them even more vulnerable to ethanol-induced degeneration. These special instances will be discussed along with the general mechanisms of ethanol-induced cerebellar degeneration.The Cerebellum 05/2008; 7(3):332-47. · 3.21 Impact Factor -
Article: Increased long-term cardiovascular morbidity among patients treated with radioactive iodine for hyperthyroidism.
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ABSTRACT: Previous studies suggest that hyperthyroid patients remain at increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity after restoring euthyroidism. The aim of this study was to compare the rate and causes of hospitalization of hyperthyroid patients treated with radioactive iodine (RAI) with those of an age- and gender-matched reference population in a long-term follow-up study. A population-based cohort study with a median follow-up time of 9 years was conducted among 2611 hyperthyroid patients treated with RAI between 1969 and 2002 in Tampere University Hospital, and among 2611 reference subjects. Information on hospitalizations was obtained from the nationwide Hospital Discharge Registry. New events were analysed as the main outcome, including only the first hospitalization due to a given indication. The rate of hospitalization due to cardiovascular disease (CVD) was higher among patients with hyperthyroidism than among the control population [637.1 vs. 476.4 per 10 000 person-years, rate ratio (RR) 1.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03-1.21]. The risk remained elevated up to 35 years after the RAI treatment. Hospitalizations due to atrial fibrillation (RR 1.35), cerebrovascular disease (RR 1.31), diseases of other arteries and veins (RR 1.22), hypertension (RR 1.20) and heart failure (RR 1.48) were more frequent in the patients than controls, while no such difference was found for coronary artery disease. Hospitalizations due to cancer, infectious and gastrointestinal diseases, and fractures were also more common in patients than in controls. Hyperthyroidism increases hospitalizations due to CVDs. The excess risk is sustained decades after treatment. Patients treated for hyperthyroidism constitute a high-risk group for CVD and may benefit from preventive interventions.Clinical Endocrinology 04/2008; 68(3):450-7. · 3.17 Impact Factor
