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REVIEW article

Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Thyroid Endocrinology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1425241

Thyroid Disorders and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: An Association Present in Adults but Also in Children and Adolescents

Provisionally accepted
Valeria Calcaterra Valeria Calcaterra 1*Francesca Penagini Francesca Penagini 2Virginia Rossi Virginia Rossi 2Luisa Abbattista Luisa Abbattista 2Alice Bianchi Alice Bianchi 2Massimiliano Turzi Massimiliano Turzi 2Lucia Cococcioni Lucia Cococcioni 2Gianvincenzo Zuccotti Gianvincenzo Zuccotti 3
  • 1 University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
  • 2 Buzzi Children’s Hospital, Milan, Lombardy, Italy
  • 3 University of Milan, Milan, Lombardy, Italy

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) represent chronic inflammatory multisystemic disorders that primarily involve the gastrointestinal tract. Patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) exhibit a higher prevalence of thyroid disorders compared to the general population. The aim of this review is to summarize the literature on concomitant IBD and thyroid disorders, specifically autoimmune thyroid diseases such as Graves' disease (GD) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), as well as thyroid cancer, with a focus on children and adolescents. We provide an overview of the age-related differences between children and adults in the prevalence of this association. Literature shows that relatively few studies have been conducted on this subject in pediatric populations. The etiopathogenetic similarities between IBD and autoimmune thyroiditis are undeniable. Nevertheless, current data does not indicate a unanimous association between GD and HT and chronic IBD (both CD and UC). Although evidence suggests a potential association between IBD and thyroid cancer, particularly papillary thyroid cancer, the precise nature of this relationship varies across studies and is influenced by multiple factors. The limited information regarding the relationship between IBD and thyroid disorders in children highlights a significant knowledge gap. Since the thyroid plays a critical role in the pediatric population's development, it is essential to promptly recognize and treat thyroid diseases. A thyroid function monitoring and future research exploring the genetic and immunologic connections are essential to enhance our understanding of the interrelation between IBD and thyroid disorders.

    Keywords: thyroid disorders, Cancer, Children, adolescents, inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis

    Received: 29 Apr 2024; Accepted: 13 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Calcaterra, Penagini, Rossi, Abbattista, Bianchi, Turzi, Cococcioni and Zuccotti. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Valeria Calcaterra, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.