Irisin levels increase after treatment in patients with newly diagnosed Hashimoto thyroiditis

• Published in: Journal of endocrinological investigation Vol. 42; no. 2; pp. 175 - 181
• Main Authors: Uc, Z. A., Gorar, S., Mizrak, S., Gullu, S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.02.2019; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Autoantibodies; Creatine; Creatine kinase; Creatine Kinase - blood; Endocrinology; Female; Fibronectins - blood; Hashimoto Disease - blood; Hashimoto Disease - drug therapy; Hormone Replacement Therapy; Humans; Hypothyroidism; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Metabolism; Original Article; Patients; Skeletal muscle; Thyroid; Thyroid Function Tests; Thyroid gland; Thyroiditis; Thyrotropin - blood; Thyroxine; Thyroxine - blood; Thyroxine - therapeutic use; Treatment Outcome; Overt hypothyroidism; Irisin; Hypothyroidism; Hashimoto thyroiditis
• ISSN: 1720-8386; 0391-4097; 1720-8386
• DOI: 10.1007/s40618-018-0899-8

Purpose Irisin is a newly identified myokine secreted by skeletal muscle and has significant effects on body metabolism. Thyroidal functional state has a profound influence on the metabolism of human body. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the possible changes in serum irisin concentrations before and after treatment in hypothyroid subjects. Methods The study included 26 patients with overt hypothyroidism due to Hashimoto thyroiditis and 19 healthy subjects. Baseline serum thyroid function tests and presence of thyroid autoantibodies and levels of creatine kinase (CK) and irisin were measured in both groups. All measurements in the hypothyroid group were repeated after euthyroidism was achieved. Results Serum irisin levels were significantly lower in the hypothyroid groups than the control group ( p  < 0.001). Negative correlation between irisin and thyroid stimulating hormone and CK levels ( r  = − 0.623, p  < 0.001 and r  = − 0.389, p  = 0.008, respectively) and a positive correlation between irisin and free thyroxine (fT4) levels ( r  = 0.570, p  < 0.001) was found. Serum CK levels decreased significantly after treatment ( p  < 0.001). Serum irisin levels significantly increased (from 57.4 to 99.8 U/L, p  < 0.001) when the hypothyroid patients were treated to achieve euthyroidism. Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study providing insight that low serum irisin levels significantly increased following treatment to euthyroid state in overt hypothyroid patients with Hashimoto thyroiditis. Larger scale studies are needed to confirm these results and to ensure irisin as a possible biomarker of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.