Biomarkers of autoimmune inflammatory diseases, thyroid function and psychological health of the participants from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil)

• Grant number: 24/06985-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Effective date (Start): November 03, 2024
• Effective date (End): July 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Epidemiology
• Principal Investigator: Isabela Judith Martins Bensenor
• Grantee: Vandrize Meneghini
• Supervisor: Antonio Carlos Bianco
• Host Institution: Hospital Universitário (HU). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Research place: University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 21/06798-0 - Autoimmune thyroid disease and inflammatory diseases: association with subclinical Atherosclerosis and general and cardiovascular mortality in ELSA-Brasil, BP.PD

Abstract

The aim of this research project is to analyze the association between autoimmune inflammatory diseases biomarkers and psychological health in individuals according to the thyroid function, thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) levels and use of levothyroxine. Data from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil) will be used from the baseline (2008-2010), 4-year (2012-2014) and 9-year follow-ups (2017-2019). This is a case-cohort design study with data from 15105 participants. Several biomarkers related to rheumatoid arthritis, primary Sjogren's syndrome, primary vasculitis, and celiac disease will be used. Thyroid dysfunction and autoimmunity will be assessed through the levels of thyroid hormones (TSH, FT4 and FT3), use of specific medications such as levothyroxine, and TPOAb levels, respectively. The psychological health will be evaluated using the Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised (CIS-R) to determine the presence major and minor disorders. The self-rated health will also be evaluated in a Likert scale. ELSA-Brasil study also included other scales and questionnaires that may permit to evaluate other aspects of psychological health, such as the evaluation of neighborhood aspects, practice of physical activity, and stress at work, social capital, and life satisfaction. In addition, the study has detailed information about comorbidities and use of medication. The associations will be analyzed through Logistic (OR) or Poisson (RR) regression using univariate and adjusted models for sociodemographic (age, sex, race, and education) and health-related (hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, smoking, alcohol use, obesity, and physical activity) variables.