Some patients with autoimmune thyroid disease have high serum titers of antipituitary antibodies and growth hormone deficiency
(July 2007)
The background of the study. Some patients with Hashimoto’s disease or Graves’ disease have high serum concentrations of antibodies that react with pituitary tissue. In this study, these antibodies were measured in patients with these and other thyroid disorders and in normal subjects, and pituitary function was assessed in those who had high serum levels of the antibodies.
How the study was done. Serum antipituitary antibodies were measured in 135 normal subjects and 1290 patients with thyroid disorders. They included 961 patients with autoimmune thyroid disease (707 with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and 254 with Graves’ hyperthyroidism), 60 with toxic nodular goiter, and 269 with nontoxic nodular goiter.
The results of the study. Antipituitary antibodies were not detected in the serum of any normal subject, but were detected in some patients with Hashimoto’s disease and Graves’ disease, and a few patients with a nodular goiter (Table).
| Table. Serum Antipituitary Antibody Levels in Patients with Thyroid Disorders and Normal Subjects. |
| |
Negative |
Serum 1:10 |
Serum 1:30 |
Serum 1:90 |
| Hashimoto’s disease |
87% |
9% |
3% |
1% |
| Graves’ disease |
93% |
6% |
1% |
0.4% |
| Toxic nodular goiter |
100% |
|
|
|
| Nontoxic nodular goiter |
99% |
1% |
|
|
| Normal subjects |
100% |
|
|
|
There was no difference in the frequency of high serum levels of these antibodies in patients with hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism and those who were euthyroid. Thirty-five percent of the patients with high serum antipituitary antibody levels had growth hormone deficiency, but no other pituitary hormone deficiencies were detected.
The conclusions of the study. More patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or Graves’ disease have high serum levels of antipituitary antibodies than do patients with multinodular goiter or normal subjects.
The original article. Manetti L, Lupi I, Morselli LL, Albertini S, Cosottini M, Grasso L, Genovesi M, Pinna G, Mariotti S, Bogazzi F, Bartalena L, Martino E. Prevalence and functional significance of antipituitary antibodies in patients with autoimmune and non-autoimmune thyroid diseases. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2007;92:2176-81.
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