title: Clinical relevance of thyroid-stimulating autoantibodies in pediatric graves' disease-a multicenter study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The incidence of TSH receptor (TSHR) stimulating autoantibodies (TSAbs) in pediatric Graves' disease (GD) is controversial. This large, multicenter study evaluated the clinical relevance of TSAbs in children with GD both with Graves' orbitopathy (GO) and without orbital disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a cross-sectional retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sera were collected in seven American and European academic referral centers and evaluated in a central laboratory. PATIENTS AND SAMPLES: A total of 422 serum samples from 157 children with GD, 101 control individuals with other thyroid and nonthyroid autoimmune diseases, and 50 healthy children were studied.
  
  
  METHODS
  TSAbs were measured using a novel, chimeric TSHR bioassay and a cAMP response element-dependent luciferase. TSH binding-inhibitory Ig (TBII) and parameters of thyroid function were also determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 82 untreated children with GD, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for TSAb and TBII were: 100 and 92.68% (P = .031), 100 and 100%, 100 and 100%, and 100 and 96.15%, respectively. TSAb and TBII were present in 147 (94%) and 138 (87.9%) of the 157 children with GD (P < .039), respectively; and in 247 (94%) and 233 (89%) of the 263 samples from this group (P < .0075), respectively. In children with GD and GO, TSAb and TBII were noted in 100 and 96% (P < .001), respectively. Hyperthyroid children with GD and GO showed markedly higher TSAb levels compared to those with thyroidal GD only (P < .0001). No significant differences were noted for TBII between the two groups. After a 3-year (median) medical treatment, the decrease of TSAb levels was 69% in GD vs 20% in GD and GO (P < .001). All 31 samples of euthyroid children with GO were TSAb positive; in contrast, only 24 were TBII positive (P = .016). All children with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, nonautoimmune hyperthyroidism, type 1 diabetes, and juvenile arthritis and the healthy controls were TSAb and TBII negative.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum TSAb level is a sensitive, specific, and reproducible biomarker for pediatric GD and correlates well with disease severity and extrathyroidal manifestations.
authors: Thyroid Laboratory (T.D., M.K., G.J.K.), Department of Medicine I, Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center, 55101 Mainz, Germany; Division of Endocrinology (R.S.B., A.H., J.S.), Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, and Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115; Department of Pediatrics, Endocrinology, Diabetology, with the Cardiology Division (A. Bossowski), Medical University in Bialystok, 15-089 Bialystok, Poland; Department of Pediatrics (M.S.), University La Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy; Department of Pediatric Endocrinology and Rheumatology (M.N.), University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznan, Poland; Institute of Medical Statistics, Biometry, and Epidemiology (J.K.), Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center, 55101 Mainz, Germany; Department of Cardiology (A. Bossowska), Internal Affair and Administration, Ministry Hospital, 15-089 Bialystok, Poland; Department of Pediatrics (K.Z.), Silesia Medical University, 40-055 Katowice, Poland; and Department of Ophthalmology (S.P.), Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center, 55101 Mainz, Germany.
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Diana
authors: R S
authors: RS
authors: Brown
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Bossowski
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Segni
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Niedziela
authors: J
authors: J
authors: König
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Bossowska
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Ziora
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Hale
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Smith
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Pitz
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Kanitz
authors: G J
authors: GJ
authors: Kahaly
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D018828:Immunoglobulins, Thyroid-Stimulating / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000097:blood; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018828:Immunoglobulins, Thyroid-Stimulating; D013963:Thyroid Hormones