MICROSOMAL AND THYROGLOBULIN ANTIBODIES IN THYROID DISORDERS

Eighty patients with various thyroid disorders and 20 controls were investigated to determine antibodies against thyroglobulin and microsomal antigens by haemagglutination and immunofluorescent techniques. They were also tested for immunoglobulin profile by radial immunodiffusion methods. Patients with Hashimoto's disease, idiopathic hypothyroidism, and Grave's disease showed significant elevations of IgG. None of the patients with toxic nodular goitre or thyroid adenoma showed any thyroid antibodies while 69.2% patients with Grave's disease, 16% with euthyroid goitre, 58.3% with hypothyroidism and all the patients with Hashimoto's disease had microsomal antibodies by immunofluorescent test. Similarly, all the cases of Hashimoto's disease, 41.6% of those with hypothyroidism, 30% of Grave's disease patients and none of the patients with toxic nodule or thyroid adenoma had thyroglobulin antibodies by haemaglutination test. Evaluation for auto-antibodies may aid the clinician in the overall assessment of various thyroid disorders.