Department of Medicine (A.S., Y.T.), Dokkyo Koshigaya Hospital, Dokkyo University School of Medicine, Koshigaya, Saitama 343-8555, Japan; Department of Medicine (T.Y., H.O., H.S., Y.M., A.T., S.O., K.J., A.K., Y.N., E.T., Y.I., K.K.), Kashiwa City Hospital, Kashiwa, Chiba 277, Japan; Department of Gerontology (T.A.), Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Nagano 390, Japan
Address correspondence and requests for reprints to: Akira Sato, M.D., Department of Medicine, Dokkyo Koshigaya Hospital, Dokkyo University School of Medicine, Koshigaya, Saitama 343-8555, Japan.
To investigate the possible participation of immunoglobulin E (IgE) in
the autoimmune process of Graves disease, incidence of elevation of
serum IgE level, TSH receptor antibody (TRAb), and thyroid status were
studied in 66 patients with hyperthyroid Graves disease, 54 patients
with Hashimotos thyroiditis, 19 patients with bronchial asthma, and
15 patients with pollen allergy. In hyperthyroid Graves patients,
elevation of serum IgE levels (170 U/mL) was found in 19 of 66
patients (29%), 11 of whom had hereditary and/or allergic conditions.
Elevations of serum IgE levels were found in 63% of patients with
bronchial asthma and in 40% of patients with pollen allergy. Mean
values of serum IgE were the same in patients with hyperthyroid
Graves disease and with bronchial asthma. During methimazole
treatment TRAb decreased without fluctuation of IgE levels in both
groups. The decrease in TRAb was significantly greater in patients with
normal IgE than in patients with IgE elevation. After prednisone
administration, reduction in TRAb was greater in patients with normal
IgE than that in patients with IgE elevation.
High incidence of IgE elevation in hyperthyroid Graves disease and slower reduction in TRAb in association with IgE elevation suggest a difference in the autoimmune processes in Graves disease with and without elevation of IgE.