FURTHER EVIDENCE THAT HYPERTHYROIDISM (GRAVES' DISEASE) IS NOT HYPERPITUITARISM: EFFECTS OF TRIIODOTHYRONINE AND SODIUM IODIDE*†

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Abstract
Effects of triiodothyronine and of thyrotropin were observed in patients with active Graves'' disease, in euthyroid patients with the eye signs of the disease, in patients in a state of sustained remission from the disease, and in euthyroid control subjects. Effect of thyrotropin during a remission induced by short-term treatment with Nal given in small doses is also presented. The evidence suggests the following conclusions: (1) that Graves'' disease is not a disorder caused by hyperpituitarism, (2) that iodides act directly upon the thyroid cell and not by interference with the action of thyrotropin, and (3) that the difference in the response to triiodothyronine between patients with active Graves'' disease and those with other related conditions provides a useful diagnostic test.