Immunodiagnostic Role of INF-γ in Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: Correlation with Auto antibody and Inflammatory Markers

Abstract: Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is an autoimmune disorder in which progressive thyroid failure is induced by Th1-type immunity, and in particular, interferon-gamma (IFN-γ). Immunological diagnosis of HT was made in the present study by comparing 50 patients with HT and 50 sex- and age-matched controls for serum IFN-γ, IL-18, anti-TPO, anti-Tg, hs-CRP, and TSH levels. Biomarkers were quantified using ELISA and Cobas e411 and statistically evaluated for group comparison, correlation, regression, and ROC curve. All biomarkers were significantly higher in HT patients (p < 0.001). IFN-γ was strongly correlated with IL-18, anti-TPO, and anti-Tg (r > 0.7) and had high diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.92; cutoff = 59.96 pg/mL). These observations implicate IFN-γ as a key mediator of HT pathogenesis and suggest its utility in diagnosis and in the design of future immunomodulatory treatment strategies.