Development of thyroid autoimmunity

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Abstract
Two blood samples were taken at an interval of 5 yr in a continuing epidemiological study of a rural population in southwestern Finland with an age range of 40-64 yr at commencement. Paired sera of 680 subjects were tested for antibodies against thyroglobulin and thyroid microsomal antigen. In the seroconversion cases the titers in the 2nd specimens were either low or medium but never high. In the cases selected on the basis of the highest titers in the follow-up specimens, the titers in the baseline specimens were either high or medium but never low. The emergence and the development of thyroid autoimmune seroreactions evidently are slow processes.