ABSTRACT
The goal of the study was to investigate thyroid functional activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to identify the specific features of the generation of thyroid hormone antibodies in RA patients depending on the activity of the disease. Seventy-five patients with RA (61 (81.4%) females and 14(18.6%) males; mean age 54.1±11.6years) were examined. Physical examination and measurements of the level of thyroid hormones (free T4 and free TJ and the number of their antibodies were made. Thirty healthy individuals were examined as controls. The sera from RA patients showed antibodies to T4 and T3 in 45 and 39% of cases. There was a rise in thyroxine levels and T4 antibody concentrations with the higher activity of RA. Along with the routine clinical and laboratory parameters, the values of T3 and T4 antibodies may be used as an additional tool to characterize the activity of RA genesis.
