Abstract

Introduction

This study aimed to assess the clinical practices and attitudes towards Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) among pediatric (PEs) and adult endocrinologists (AEs).

Methods

The members of Turkish Society for Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes (n=502) and the Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism of Türkiye (n=910) were invited to participate in an online survey.

Results

Of the respondents (n=168), 72.6%(n=122) were PEs and 27.3%(n=46) were AEs. The response rate was 24% among PEs, 5% among AEs.  The mean age was 42.7 years. The use of “only TPO-ab” was preferred more frequently in AEs (28.3%) than in PEs (4.1%) (p=0.002). The rate of informing patient/parents at the time of diagnosis that HT lasts a lifetime was 91.3% among AEs and 62.3% among PEs (p=0.001). The rate of beginning treatment in euthyroid cases with goiter was significantly higher in PEs (26.2%) compared to AEs (4.3%) (p=0.017). Among AEs, 71.7% stated that they would never stop treatment, while among PEs, 33.6% did (p<0.001). Also, 44% of PEs stated that they would try to discontinue treatment in euthyroid at the end of puberty. The rate of those who were undecided about selenium supplementation was higher among PEs (41%) than among AEs (21.7%) (p=0.007). Although none of the PEs recommended gluten restriction, 7.5% of the AEs indicated that they would recommend gluten-free diet even without Celiac disease (p=0.015).

Conclusion

There are significant differences encompassing aspects of diagnosis, treatment and nutritional supplementation in HT between PEs and AEs.