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Effect of intravenous gammaglobulin on organ specific antibodies and lymphocyte subsets
1Department of Medicine III, Gutenberg-University Hospital, Mainz, Germany.
Objective:
The intravenous (i.v.) administration of immunoglobulins (Ig) has resulted in clinical improvement and decreased autoantibody titers in a large number of autoimmune diseases. In this study, the in vivo effects of polyvalent Ig for i.v. use (IVIG) on the level and course of organ-specific antibodies and lymphocyte subsets in patients with autoimmune thyroid disease (ATD) were assessed.
Methods:
19 patients were treated with prednisolone (P) while 21 patients received IVIG. Thyroid microsomal, thyroglobulin- and thyrotropin-receptor autoantibodies (Abs), as well as the lymphocyte ratio CD4/CD8, were measured before and at the end of immunosuppressive therapy.
Results:
Among the patients treated with IVIG, there was a marked decrease (p < 0.0001) in the microsomal, thyroglobulin and TSH-receptor Abs titers. Significant changes in the titers were also observed after P therapy. The lymphocyte ratio dropped markedly in both groups (p < 0.0005).
Conclusion:
The significant decrease in organ specific Abs in the IVIG group may be explained in terms of a direct and local immunosuppressive effect of the drug on the intrathyroid lymphocytes.