Background and Aims

Hashimoto's encephalopathy (HE) is an extrathyroidal autoimmune brain disorder. The presense of anti-alpha enolase antibodies (ENO1Ab) was detected in cases of HE, thus it may be a key component in the pathogenesis of HE.

The aim of the study was to analyse possible association between ENO1Ab and anti-thyroid autoantibodies, hormones, psychiatric manifestations.

Methods

We studied 117 patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT). First group of the patients (n=33) had an HT and different psychiatric disorders (PD). Another group (n=84) had an HT without any psychiatric disorders. Anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies (antiTPO), anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (antiTG), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), free triiodothyronine (FT3), prolactin and ENO1Ab were studied.

Results

In the group with HT and PD ENO1Ab were positive in 33,3% in another group-in 12%. The level of antiTPO was increased in both groups. We found significant positive correlations between ENO1Ab and antiTG (r=0,31; p=0,002), prolactin (r=0,39; p<0,001) in general group (n=117). In the group with HT was a positive significant correlations between ENO1Ab and antiTG (r=0,39; p=0,002), prolactin (r=0,29; p=0,034). Positive correlations in general group between ENO1Ab and hallucination (p=0,034), generalized anxiety (p=0,011), delirium (p=0,018), attention deficit (p=0,033) were found.

Conclusions

Positive correlation of ENO1Ab and antiTG Ab, prolactin in HT patients confirms the hypothesis that ENO1Ab can be a kind of non-classical autoantibody secondary to autoimmune responses to Tg in pathogenesis of HT.

ENO1Ab were associated with psychiatric symptoms in general group of patients, but it was not confirmed in each group separately. Thus, this association is smoothed out as psychic symptoms progress and psychosis treatment begins