[Concentrations of soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) in patients witt Graves' disease and thyroid...

The aim of this study is to evaluate serum concentrations of sVCAM-1 in patients with Graves' disease (GD) and thyroid associated orbitopathy (TAO). We measured serum sVCAM-1 levels in initially hyperthyroid GD patients without TAO, in patients with progressive and stable orbitopathy in euthyroid stage of GD and healthy controls. The highest serum concentrations of sVCAM-1 were observed in patients with hyperthyroid GD. In patients with euthyroid GD and progressive TAO, sVCAM-1 levels were slightly decreased than those in the group of patients with hyperthyroid GD and markedly elevated in comparison to the group of patients with stable TAO. In patients with hyperthyroid GD, sVCAM-1 concentrations dropped significantly after they had become euthyroid , but were still higher than those observed in group of patients with stable TAO and healthy people. Serum levels of sVCAM-1 in early stage of the progressive TAO (<6 m-ths) were higher than those in late stage of the disease (>6 m-ths), despite lower orbitopathy index (OI) found in early stage of the orbitopathy (<6 m-ths). In conclusion, both hyperhyroidism and TAO may contribute to elevated levels of sVCAM-1. A significant decrease in sVCAM-1 levels in initially hyperthyroid GD patients is associated with euthyroid stage of the disease. Concentrations of sVCAM-1 seem to correlate with the activity, not severity of progressive TAO.