HLA-DR3 and HLA-DR5 confer risk for autoantibody positivity against the thyroperoxidase (mic-TPO) antigen in healthy blood donors.
The prevalence of circulating autoantibodies against thyroperoxidase (mic-TPO) was determined in 3,000 healthy blood donors (age range: 23 to 60 years) from the Hamburg area. Of the blood donors, 153 (5.1%) were found to have high titer of mic-TPO (> 350 IU/ml). Only two autoantibody positive subjects (0.06%) were chemically hyper- and hypothyroid, respectively. Analysis of HLA-DR specificities revealed that HLA-DR specificities DR3 and DR5 were significantly increased when compared to controls (n = 1,863). Comparison of the autoantibody-positive probands with a group of disease controls, i.e., Graves' patients and patients with lymphocytic thyroiditis, revealed a higher prevalence of HLA-DR3-positive HLA haplotypes in the disease controls when compared to autoantibody positives. Individuals with a mic-TPO level greater than 2,000 IU/ml were almost exclusively found to have one HLA-DR3 or HLA-DR5 positive HLA haplotype. We conclude that a high prevalence of high-titer mic-TPO can be found in healthy blood donors. Circulating signs of thyroid autoimmunity were associated with HLA specificities also found to be associated with autoimmune thyroid diseases.
Boehm
B O
BO
Klinikum der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Zentrum der Inneren Medizin, Frankfurt/Main.
Kühnl
P
P
Löliger
C
C
Ketzler-Sasse
U
U
Holzberger
G
G
Seidl
S
S
Bäuerle
R
R
Schifferdecker
E
E
Usadel
K H
KH
D000328:Adult; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D001782:Blood Donors; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D015803:HLA-DR3 Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D015805:HLA-DR5 Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007453:Iodide Peroxidase; D033862:Iron-Binding Proteins; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D012307:Risk Factors; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000276:immunology
D001323:Autoantibodies; D001324:Autoantigens; D015803:HLA-DR3 Antigen; D015805:HLA-DR5 Antigen; D033862:Iron-Binding Proteins; C056658:TPO protein, human; D007453:Iodide Peroxidase