[Immunological and morphological comparisons in toxic goiter]

Histostructural peculiarities of the toxic goiter tissue were compared with humoral parameters of the autoimmune aggression and with the lymphoblasttransformation intensity in 29 patients operated on for thyrotoxicosis. The intensity of intradermal hypersensitivity reaction of delayed type in response to homologous and autologous tissue of the toxic goiter was also investigated. The majority of the patients displayed marked signs of autoimmune aggression, regardless of the structure of the goiter parenchyma and the intensity of ilt lymphoid infiltration. Immunological disturbances increase with the rise in the clinical severity of thyrotoxicosis. It is suggested that immunological changes of toxic goiter have phasic development. Humoral manifestation of autoimmune aggression were marked and stable, whereas changes of cellular immunity were less significant and specific; they were apparently due to a secondary increase in the lymphocytic immunological activity.