Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Autoimmune thyroid disease affects 1% of the population and comprises several disorders, including Graves’ disease(GD). Local and serum cytokines are increased in patients with Graves disease, play a central role in co-ordinating immune reactions and have immunolgical and functional effects on thyroid cells.

Aim: To investigate serum inflammatory and cytokines profile in untreated patients with Graves’ disease at diagnosis, when the immune response is presumably more specific.

Materials and Methods: We evaluated 118 patients (81.4% women), mean age 47.46 years, 91(77.1%) with GD compared to a control group of 27 with other ethyologyc forms of hyperthyroidism: toxic multinodular goiter, amiodaron induced hyperthyroidism, toxic nodule and subacute thyroiditis.

Results: GD patients were younger, with higher HR, FT 4 and TT3 than the control group. C-reactive protein, TNFα, ESR and fibrinogen levels showed no significant difference when compared to control group. GD patients with personal history of autoimmune diseases had higher TNFα (P=0.007) and those with personal history of thyroid diseases had higher CRP (P=0.003) and TNFα(P=0.01) than those without. In the GD group smokers and those with oftalmopathy did not have a modified inflammatory profile. In the GD group: CRP, TNFα, ESR and fibrinogen did not correlate with FT4 or TT3 at diagnosis; CRP positively correlated with age (P=0.025); TNFα positively correlated with systolic BP(P=0.031); ESR positively correlated with age, BMI, trigliyerides and fibrinogen positively correlated with triglycerides.

Conclusion: These results indicate that there may be only a limited role for measurement of CRP, TNFα, ESR and fibrinogen levels in the diagnosis of GD, yet inflammation significantly correlates with other important features.

Declaration of interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research project.

Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sector