Endocrine Abstracts

Around 50% of patients with Graves’ disease (GD) have Graves’ orbitopathy (GO). However, only 5–10% have overt active disease which merits more than symptomatic treatment. Clearly, the best treatment is prophylaxis related to avoiding tobacco smoking and to obtain and maintain euthyroidism.Whether antithyroid drugs (ATDs), radioiodine (RAI), or thyroidectomy should be chosen for therapy of GD, whether or not there is presence of active GO,...

Background: The expanding use of 18F-fluoro-deoxy-glucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG PET) has led to the identification of increasing numbers of patients with an incidentaloma in the thyroid gland. The aim of this study was to review the proportion of incidental thyroid cancers found by 18F-FDG PET or PET/CT imaging.Methods: Studies evaluating thyroid carcinomas discovered incidentally in patients or healthy vo...

Introduction: Overt hyperthyroidism (OH) is associated with potentially lethal conditions such as atrial fibrillation, pulmonary embolism, stroke and coagulopathy. OH has also been connected with an increased mortality. However, this could be the result of common genetic and environmental factors affecting both OH and mortality.Objective: To investigate if OH is associated with an increased mortality and to what degree the relation might be explained fro...

Background: Overt hypothyroidism (OH) has repeatedly been associated with a number of potential lethal conditions. However, it is still debated whether OH is linked with increased mortality. Moreover, a link between OH and mortality could be the result of common genetic and environmental factors affecting both OH and mortality. Investigating twin pairs discordant for OH can minimize this potential confounding. Our objective was to investigate, at a nationwide level, whether OH...

There is a paucity of information regarding the genetic and somatic mutation events that lead to the production of pathogenic thyroid stimulating antibodies (TSAbs) in Graves’ disease. We have previously isolated two murine monoclonal antibodies (KSAb1 and KSAb2) with potent TSAb activity that demonstrate subtle differences in their interaction with the thyrotropin receptor (TSHR). Analyses of the variable region genes of the heavy and light chains of these TSAbs were per...

Genetic variants consistently associated with the development of Graves’ disease (GD) have, to date, been general autoimmunity loci including those within the HLA region, the CTLA-4 gene and most recently the PTPN22 gene encoding lymphoid tyrosine phosphatase (LYP). The thyrotophin receptor gene (TSHR) has recently however, been identified as the first Graves’ disease specific susceptibility locus. To further refine association with disease and exclude populat...