title: Antibodies to orbital tissues in thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy.
abstract: Thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy is thought to be an autoimmune disease affecting the orbit. The precise pathogenetic mechanisms are not known, but extraocular muscle and/or orbital fibroblasts are the likely targets of the autoimmune attack. Sera from 41 normal controls, 79 patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy and 72 patients with other autoimmune diseases were examined for antibodies to cultured orbital fibroblasts and extraocular muscle by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Orbital fibroblast antibody levels varied widely in all subject groups studied, and failed to distinguish patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy from patients with other autoimmune diseases or controls. Eye-muscle binding antibody levels were higher amongst patients with ophthalmopathy compared to normal controls and patients with Graves' hyperthyroidism without clinical evidence of ophthalmopathy. Furthermore, eye-muscle binding antibody levels were found to be particularly high in patients with ophthalmopathy and concurrent dermopathy, and in patients with ophthalmic (euthyroid) Graves' disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Medical School, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Perros
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kendall-Taylor
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D005123:Eye / Q000276:immunology*; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000276:immunology; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009132:Muscles / Q000276:immunology; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D014404:Tubulin / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D014404:Tubulin