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Relationship between thyroid status and Graves' disease-specific immunoglobulins.
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
|August 1, 1978
Summary
Thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI) was found in 50% of untreated Graves' disease patients. These findings suggest antibodies may bind thyroid cells without causing stimulation.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Immunology
Background:
- Graves' disease is an autoimmune disorder characterized by thyroid overstimulation.
- The role of thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI) in Graves' disease pathogenesis is under investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence of TSI in patients with Graves' disease before and after treatment.
- To compare TSI assay results with standard thyroid function tests.
Main Methods:
- A radioligand receptor assay was used to measure TSI in 110 untreated and 39 treated Graves' disease patients.
- Assays utilized human thyroid membranes and labeled porcine or bovine TSH.
- TSI activity was defined as reduced [125I]TSH binding below mean control values minus 2 SD.
Main Results:
- TSI activity was detected in 50% of patients with untreated diffuse toxic goiter.
- TSI was found in 3 of 27 patients with regained thyroid function and 5 of 12 patients off therapy.
- IgG from patients inhibited TSH binding to thyroid membranes in a dose-dependent manner.
Conclusions:
- The study suggests the presence of antibodies that bind to thyroid cell membranes without necessarily stimulating thyroid activity.
- While not proving humoral antibodies are solely responsible for thyroid stimulation in Graves' disease, the findings do not exclude this possibility.