Autoimmune thyroid disease--a continuous spectrum.
OBJECTIVE
to present a case report revealing a variant of natural history of autoimmune thyroid disease.


METHODS
I.F., a 39 years old woman, had a previous medical history of Graves' disease treated with antithyroid drugs (ATD). After 1 year of treatment, the remission was confirmed one and two years after ATD withdrawal. Twenty years after the initial hyperthyroidism, spontaneous subclinical hypothyroidism was diagnosed. The patient presented both anti TSH-receptor (TSH-R) antibodies (Ab), antithyroperoxidase (TPO) and antithyroglobulin (antiTgl) antibodies in elevated titres.


CONCLUSIONS
Because of the shift from hyperthyroidism to euthyroidism or to spontaneous hypothyroidism, Graves' disease patients demand a strict follow-up after ATD therapy. It seems that there is an effect of TPOAb on thyroid destruction.
Trifănescu
Raluca
R
Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania. ralucatrifanescu@yahoo.com
Poiană
Cătălina
C
Hortopan
D
D
D000328:Adult; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000628:therapy; D050031:Hashimoto Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007453:Iodide Peroxidase / Q000276:immunology; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000276:immunology
D001323:Autoantibodies; D015415:Biomarkers; C006606:anti-thyroglobulin; D013972:Thyrotropin; D007453:Iodide Peroxidase