Linking Premature Ovarian Insufficiency to Autoimmune Diseases

Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) occurs when an individual’s ovaries stop functioning before the age of 40. Autoimmune mechanisms have long been suspected to play a role in this condition for some patients. However, there is limited data directly assessing whether those with POI are more likely to develop an autoimmune disease. A new paper published in Human Reproduction titled “Excess of severe autoimmune diseases in women with premature ovarian insufficiency: a population-based study” addresses this question.

In this study, researchers looked at the rates of autoimmune disease diagnoses from childhood through 2017 in 3,972 individuals with spontaneous POI and 15,708 controls. They focused on severe autoimmune diseases,defined as those diagnosed and treated by specialized health care providers. The data demonstrated an increased prevalence of severe autoimmune disease in those with POI compared to controls. Specifically, they found that individuals with POI were more likely to have polyglandular autoimmune disease, Addison’s disease, vasculitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, sarcoidosis, inflammatory bowel disease and hyperthyroidism.

Overall, this study supports an association between POI and the development of autoimmune disease. This information is valuable for individuals to know when planning for a family. It also suggests that similar immune system dysfunction that contributes to autoimmune disease may also cause some cases of POI. More research is needed to fully understand this connection. 

Citation:

S M Savukoski, H Silvén, P Pesonen, E Pukkala, M Gissler, E Suvanto, M -M Ollila, M Niinimäki, Excess of severe autoimmune diseases in women with premature ovarian insufficiency: a population-based study, Human Reproduction, 2024;, deae213, https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/deae213