title: Anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies are elevated in Graves' disease but not in Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCA) had been known to be specific for Crohn's disease, but they had also been found in many other autoimmune diseases.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of ASCA in patients with autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD).
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and ninety-seven patients with AITD and 160 healthy controls were included in the study. One hundred and nineteen patients had Graves' disease (GD) and 78 patients had Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT). ASCA IgG and IgA were determined by ELISA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ASCA IgG were significantly more frequent in patients with GD than in control group (11.8% vs. 3.1%, p = 0.002). In HT, the frequency of ASCA IgG was similar to that of the control group (3.8% and 3.1% respectively). The frequency of ASCA IgA was similar in GD (0.8%), HT (2.6%), and the control group (3.1%). In all GD patients, the frequency of ASCA IgG was significantly higher than that of ASCA IgA (11.8% vs. 0.8%, p = 0.001). These results were also true even in male and female groups (10.4% vs. 1.3%, p = 0.01 and 14.3% vs. 0%, p = 0.01, respectively). ASCA IgG levels were significantly higher in GD patients (6.7 ± 11.1 vs. 2.2 ± 2.8, p = 3 × 10(-6)) and in HT patients (4.2 ± 4.7 vs. 2.2 ± 2.8, p = 0.0002) than those in the control group. ASCA IgA levels were comparable among patients with GD, HT, and the control group. In GD patients, the mean titer of ASCA IgG was significantly higher than that of ASCA IgA (6.7 ± 11.1 vs. 3.6 ± 4.2, p = 0.005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with GD had a higher frequency of ASCA IgG than controls.
authors.affiliation: Research Unit (03UR/07-02), Faculty of Pharmacy, Monastir, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Amani
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mankaï
authors.forename: Yosra
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Thabet
authors.forename: Wiem
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Manoubi
authors.forename: Achouak
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Achour
authors.forename: Wahiba
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sakly
authors.forename: Ibtissem
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ghedira
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000908:Antibodies, Fungal / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology*; D050031:Hashimoto Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000276:immunology*; D014416:Tunisia / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000908:Antibodies, Fungal; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G