Circulating immune complexes in various thyroid diseases.

In a study of 171 patients with various thyroid diseases, circulating immune complexes (CIC), measured by a C1q solid phase radioassay, were detected in 26% of the patients as compared to 8% of the control subjects. CIC were found in 33--55% of the patients with a well defined thyroid autoimmune disorder (Hashimoto's goitre, asymptomatic thyroiditis, spontaneous myxoedema and Graves' disease) and also in the same proportion of patients with diffuse goitre. CIC were correlated to the presence of serum antibodies to microsomal thyroid antigen but not to their titre. No relationship was observed between CIC and the age or sex of the patients and the presence of exophthalmos, or between CIC and the different thyroid function tests or serum anti-thyroglobulin antibodies. CIC were found in untreated patients as well as in those treated with prednisone, methimazole or thyroxine

Heterogeneity of immunoregulatory T cells in human thyroid autoimmunity: influence of thyroid status.

Monoclonal antibodies of the OKT series were used to identify circulating T lymphocytes (OKT3+), their helper-inducer (OKT4+) and suppressor-cytotoxic (OKT8+) subsets and cells bearing Ia antigen (OKIa+) in 75 patients with thyroid autoimmune disorders, including 14 Graves' disease, 21 myxoedema, 20 asymptomatic thyroiditis, 12 Hashimoto's thyroiditis and eight simple goitre with superimposed thyroiditis. In the whole population of patients, a negative correlation was observed between the percentage of OKT8+ cells and serum free thyroxine levels whatever the type of thyroiditis. The percentage of OKT8+ cells was decreased in Graves' disease and increased in myxoedema while it reversed after adequate treatment of the two diseases. However, a trend to a decrease in the proportion of OKT8+ cells was still observed in treated Graves' disease and in all the other groups of thyroiditis with euthyroidism. The minor modifications observed for OKT3+ and OKT4+ cells were in relation with those of OKT8+ cells. There was an increased percentage of Ia+ cells in Graves' disease and in Hashimoto's thyroiditis partly reflecting the presence of activated lymphocytes. In conclusion, these data suggest first of all a direct influence of serum T4 on the distribution of circulating OKT8+ cells in addition to documenting the heterogeneity of T cell immunoregulatory factors

Methimazole-induced serum sickness

SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Long acting thyroid stimulator and thyroid function in relatives of patients with Graves' disease

In ten families, fifty relatives and seven husbands of ten patients with untreated Graves’disease were submitted to clinical examination, biological and immunological investigations. They were compared with fifty control subjects. In the relatives, thyroid diseases were found in 26%, positive LATS-IgG responses in 30%, thyroid antibodies in 23% and abnormal NBEI in 30%. The mean LATS response was significantly greater than in controls. With one exception no overt hyperthyroidism was found in the relatives on the basis of serum PBI, T3 resin uptake test, total T4 and TSH level. From the analysis of the pedigrees, no definite mode of inheritance can be found for LATS and NBEI. These data suggest the existence of a thyroid metabolic anomaly in the families of patients with thyrotoxicosis and argue against LATS as the cause of the hyperthyroidism of Graves’disease.SCOPUS: ar.jFLWNAinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Screening for thyroid disease in sick adults

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe