ESPE Yearbook of Paediatric Endocrinology

Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2024 Sep;20(9):511-525. doi: 10.1038/s41574-024-01003-w. PMID: 38906998

Brief Summary: This narrative review summarises emerging evidence linking gut microbiota composition to thyroid disorders, including autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) and thyroid cancer. Drawing on both animal models and human studies, the authors explore how microbial metabolites, particularly short-chain fatty acids, affect immune regulation, thyroid hormone metabolism, and the formation or degradation of carcinogens. Although the number of human studies on AITD, including Graves’ disease (with or without orbitopathy) and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, remains limited (N=16), all report found significant alterations in gut microbial profiles. Identifying microbial species that promote or protect against disease pathogenesis, treatment response, and relapse could enable the development of personalized, microbiome-directed therapies.

This review provides an excellent overview of what is currently known about the role of the gut microbiota in AITD.