Demonstration of Circulating Immune Complexes in Graves' Disease by the Raji Cell Technique and their Relation to Different Thyroid Autoantibodies[*]

Abstract

Using the Raji cell technique circulating immune complexes (IC) were detected in 42 out of 45 (93 per cent) patients with Graves' disease, in 3 out of 9 (33 per cent) patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, in 4 out of 41 (10 per cent) patients with non toxic goiter and in none out of 4 patients with toxic adenoma. In the group of normal subjects only 3 out of 100 (3 per cent) persons showed a positive Raji cell test. The presence of IC was not dependent from the actual thyroid function or the type of treatment. Fluorescein-isothiocyanate (FITC)-conjugated anti-bodies against thyroglobulin (Tab) or thyroid microsomal antigen (Mab) as well as FITC labelled antibodies against TSH receptors (TSH-r-ab) did not react with IC bound to the Raji cells. The presence of IC in serum of patients with Graves' disease showed no correlation with the titers of Tab or Mab. Two patients with a short history of Graves' disease had autoantibodies but no circulating IC in the early phase of the disease. The Raji test became positive in both cases three months later. TSH-r-ab could be detected in 9 out of 13 patients with Graves' disease and in none out of 8 patients with non toxic goiter. In the Graves' disease group 4 patients had IC and no TSH-r-ab, conversely 2 patients had TSH-r-ab and no IC in serum. The strong correlation between the presence of IC with Graves' disease suggests that a disease specific agent is involved in the complexes possibly a virus induced substrate.

Key words

Graves' Disease - Circulating Immune Complex - Raji Cell Test - Thyroid Autoantibodies

1 European Prize Essay Paper of the German Endocrine Society, Basedow Award 1979

1 European Prize Essay Paper of the German Endocrine Society, Basedow Award 1979