Vitamin-D Receptor (VDR) Gene Polymorphisms (TaqI, FokI) in Turkish Patients with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: Relationship to the Levels of Vit-D and Cytokines

摘要

Background: Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is a common autoimmune disease. Vitamin D is an important regulator of immune system. It has been shown in several studies that vitamin D prevents the development of lots of autoimmune diseases. There are some studies that prove vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphism increases the risk of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between HT and level of 25(OH) D3, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma and VDR FokI and TaqI gene polymorphism. Moreover, to find out whether low levels of vitamin D affect HT pathogenesis over inflammatory parameters.