Turner syndrome and autoimmune diseases: record-linkage study

Background

There is increasing evidence that Turner syndrome is associated with an elevated risk of a range of autoimmune disorders. We aimed to document this in a national study.

Method

Use of a record-linked dataset of all hospital admissions in England, 1999–2011, to construct a retrospective cohort of people with Turner syndrome and a control cohort of people without it. Statistical follow-up to identify the occurrence of 29 separate autoimmune disorders in each cohort. Calculation of rate ratios, comparing the Turner and control cohorts.

Results

In the Turner syndrome cohort (2459 people), rate ratios were elevated for 16 of the 29 conditions. Examples included coeliac disease (rate ratio 14.0, 95% CI 10.2 to 18.8), Crohn9s disease (5.3, 3.5 to 7.8), ulcerative colitis (3.9, 2.3 to 6.1), hypothyroidism (8.8, 7.8 to 9.9) and hyperthyroidism (4.9, 3.2 to 7.1).

Conclusions

The increased risk of autoimmune disorders in people with Turner syndrome covers a wide range of conditions.