Onset of Graves' thyrotoxicosis after an attack of allergic rhinitis

We previously reported that allergic rhinitis was an aggravating factor for Graves' disease and that thyrotoxicosis relapsed 2 months after an allergic attack. In this paper, we report a patient who showed onset of Graves' thyrotoxicosis after an attack of allergic rhinitis. The patient, a 30-year-old woman, was initially diagnosed with subclinical autoimmune thyroiditis. Interestingly, the patient showed weak activity of thyroid-stimulating antibody (TSAb), while TSH-binding inhibitory immunoglobulin (TBII) was negative and her thyroid function tests, including TSH, were completely normal. The patient developed severe allergic rhinitis in response to Japanese cedar pollen lasting from February until April in 1995 with an increase in serum antigen-specific immunoglobulin E and peripheral blood eosinophils. Two months later, she developed thyrotoxicosis in association with increase in TSAb and TBII. These findings suggest that allergic rhinitis not only aggravates Graves' disease but also induces the clinical onset of Graves' thyrotoxicosis.