title: Immunosuppressant therapy of thyroid eye disease.
abstract: Thyroid eye disease is attributed to an autoimmune process where both cellular and humoral immunity play a role. In this report, after a short introduction dealing with immunopathogenesis of the disease, immunosuppressant therapy is discussed. Treatment with glucocorticoids (as the standard substance), nonsteroid immunosuppressants (azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, lately cyclosporin) and with the immunomodulatory substance ciamexone is reviewed. Retroorbital irradiation as a "local" immunosuppressive method and plasmapheresis are also discussed. While systemic glucocorticoids and to a lesser extent orbital radiotherapy are routinely administered for severe Graves' ophthalmopathy, nonsteroid immunosuppressants and plasmapheresis are not yet part of the established treatment of thyroid eye disease. Their use should currently remain confined to controlled studies.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Innere Medizin, Endokrinologie und Stoffwechsel, Klinikum der Johannes-Gutenberg Universität Mainz.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kahaly
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Beyer
mesh_terms: D006111:Graves Disease / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents