TRAbs at diagnosis may better predict disease severity and relapse in younger patients with Graves′ disease

Abstract

Thyrotropin receptor antibodies (TRAbs) are pathognomonic for Graves′ disease. Previous studies have linked serum titers of TRAbs to severity of Graves′ disease and likelihood of Graves′ disease relapse. However, we know little about factors that may be involved in the impact of TRAbs on Graves′ disease patients. In December 2018, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism online published an article [Bano A, Gan E, Addison C, et al. Age may influence the impact of TRAbs on thyroid function and relapse-risk in patients with Graves′ disease. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2019, 104(5): 1378-1385. DOI: 10.1210/jc.2018-01738]. With the permission of the original journal, we translated the article into Chinese. This article aimed to investigate the association of TRAbs at diagnosis with thyroid hormones and risk of relapse, and to study the influencing factors on these associations. The results showed that TRAbs at diagnosis were positively associated with circulating thyroid hormone levels and risk of relapse, and these associations were influenced by age, but not by sex, race, smoking or thyroid peroxidase antibody levels. This study indicates TRAbs at diagnosis can better predict severity of elevated thyroid hormone levels and risk of relapse in younger patients with Graves′ disease. Key words: TSH receptor antibody; Graves′ disease; Age; Relapse; Predictive value