Serum β2-microglobulin levels in thyroid diseases

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Abstract
Lervang H-H, Møller-Petersen J, Ditzel J (Section of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine and Department of Clinical Chemistry, Aalborg Hospital. Aalborg, Denmark). Serum β2-microglobulin levels in thyroid diseases. Serum β2-microglobulin was measured in 38 patients with thyroid diseases. Serum levels of β2-microglobulin were significantly increased in patients with untreated Graves’ disease (median: 200 nmol l−1; P < 0.0002), and in patients with untreated toxic adenomas (222 nmol l−1; P< 0.0005) compared to 60 healthy control subjects (147 nmol l−1). Following antithyroid treatment of euthyroidism, serum β2-microglobulin decreased significantly in both Graves’ disease (162 nmol 1−1) and toxic adenomas (175 nmol l−1); values which were not significantly different from that of the control group. The level of serum β2-microglobulin in 12 patients with hypothyroidism was not different from that of the control group. However, in untreated hypothyroidism serum β2-microglobulin was positively correlated with serum thyroxine (T4) (rho = 0.69: P < 0.05) and free thyroxine index (FT4I) (rho = 0.72; P< 0.02). It is concluded that elevated levels of serum β2-microglobulin may reflect the increased metabolism in patients with thyrotoxicosis. Increased levels in active Graves’ disease may also partly be caused by immunological activation.