Endocrine Orbitopathy and Significance of Autoantibodies Against 1D
Protein
1, 3Hrdá P., 1, 3Šterzl I., 1Váňa S., 1Novák Z., 1Matucha P., 2Kromminga A.
1Endokrinologický ústav, Praha 2Institute for Immunology, Pathology and Molecular Biology (IPM), Hamburg, Německo 3Ústav imunologie a mikrobiologie 1. LF UK a VFN, Praha |
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Summary:
Background. Endocrine ophthalmopathy is a chronic eye disease, characterized by inflammation in
parabulbar and retrobulbar space, occurring usually in Graves’ thyrotoxicosis. Although the pathogenesis
of the disease has not been clarified until now, it is accepted that this disease is of an autoimmune
nature, where the targets of the autoimmune reaction are the antigens shared by thyroid and orbit-tissue.
The autoantibodies against recombinant 1D protein are highly specific and sensitive for the diagnosis of
endocrine orbitopathy.
Methods and Results. The aim of our study was to establish, whether the autoantibodies against 1D protein
are found predominantly in patients with clinically expressed endocrine orbitopathy. We evaluated
in 30 patients with clinically expressed endocrine orbitopathy the thickness of the three retrobulbar eye
muscles, damaged by endocrine orbitopathy, determined the parameters of thyroid hormones and anti-
TSH receptor autoantibodies. In all patients the detection of circulating autoantibodies against recombinant
1D protein was performed. Autoantibodies against recombinant 1D protein were found in all patients
with clinically expressed endocrine orbitopathy.
Conclusions. Immunoreactivity did not depend on the duration or severity of the eye disease, neither on
patients’ age. We did not find any correlation between the thickness of eye muscles and the titre of anti-
TSH receptor autoantibodies, levels of ssTSH and free thyroxine and also any correlation between the
thickness of eye muscles and the disease duration.
Key words:
autoantibodies, endocrine ophthalmopathy, Graves’ disease, eye muscle, 1D protein.
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