DOES THYROID-FUNCTION INFLUENCE SERUM BETA-MICROGLOBULIN

  • 1 April 1989
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 34  (3-4) , 182-188
Abstract
In 24 patients with hyperthyroidism (15 with Graves'' disease and 9 with toxic nodular goitre), serum .beta.2-microglobulin (.beta.2-m) levels were measured prior to and during 6 wk of treatment with carbimazole. The same schedule was followed in 7 patients with hypothyroidism, but their treatment consisted of levothyroxin in increasing doses. In 16 of the patients with hyperthyroidism, .beta.2-m was initially found to be increased. In all these patients an increased .beta.2-m declined to normal or near-normal levels. The patients with hypothyroidism had a normal medium serum .beta.2-m. During substitution there was a tendency for the serum .beta.2-m to decline. Indirect arguments are stated for the hypothesis that both in Graves'' disease and in toxic nodular goitre activated T-lymphocytes are modulated in their function by carbimazole acting as an immunosuppressing agent. Moreover, we conclude that thyroid hormone levels are not directly responsible for the increased serum .beta.2-m concentration in hyperthyroidism.

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