Evaluation of thyroglobulin autoantibodies in dogs at the time of diagnosis of hypoadrenocorticism and during treatment.

Reassess thyroid function after HA treatment initiation; TgAA may resolve with cortisol replacement.

This study investigated the co-occurrence of autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) and hypoadrenocorticism (HA) in dogs by measuring thyroglobulin autoantibodies (TgAA) at HA diagnosis and during treatment. Thirty-seven dogs with confirmed HA were enrolled between 2019-2023. Nine dogs (24.3%) showed positive TgAA at enrollment. Notably, six of these nine dogs became TgAA negative following initiation of cortisol replacement therapy, suggesting that autoimmune thyroiditis may be secondary to or exacerbated by adrenal insufficiency. Two dogs maintained persistent positive TgAA, and one was lost to follow-up. Additionally, two initially TgAA-negative dogs developed hypothyroidism during follow-up, with an overall concurrent HA and hypothyroidism prevalence of 10% in dogs with available follow-up data. The study demonstrates that thyroid autoimmunity can completely resolve with appropriate glucocorticoid replacement, suggesting that thyroid reassessment after HA treatment initiation may prevent unnecessary lifelong thyroxine supplementation. Study limitations include retrospective design, small sample size, and incomplete follow-up data.

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