Thyroid autoimmunity
	T cell subsets were evaluated in normals and in patients with thyroid autoimmune disease by Aguayo and co-workers (Santiago, Chile). They measured T cells subsets by flow cytometry in 10 normal controls (C), 13 patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) and 30 patients with Graves' disease (GD). Serum T4 and TSH levels, thyroid antibodies (anti-TPO, anti-Tg and TRAb) and surface markers of cell activity (HLA-DR, CD25) were also determined in all subjects. All GD were TRAb (+) and anti-TPO (+), all HT were TRAb (-) and anti-TPO (-) but only 8/13 were anti Tg (+). Results are shown as mean values in table 3. Graves' patients exhibit significant changes in the CD8 subsets, modifying the CD4/CD8 ratio. They also show high DR and positive immunological markers as TRAb and anti-TPO. The authors postulate that CD4/CD8 could be a good parameter to evaluate the activity of GD that could be used as a predictor of remission after ATD treatment. Table 3 T4 TSH CD3 CD4 CD8  DR CD25 CD4/CD8  (C) Control 7.33 0.62 70.70 38.40 27.60 11.40 15.50 1.50  (GD) Graves 19.50 0.20 70.72 48.60 19.50g 31.83º 18.23 2.86  (HT) Hashimoto 4.40 29.23 0.92 40.23 29.23g 16.69º 20.46 1.43  g <0.05 ºp < 0.005 Are autoimune thyroid diseases part of the spectrum of non-organ specific autoimmune diseases? was the question raised by Pedro et al. (Sào Paulo, Brazil). As the serum of patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves' disease have a high prevalence of autoantibodies that are non-organ specific, this question has raised controversial answers. Fifty patients with autoimmune thyroid disease were studied. The prevalence of anti-ssDNA was 52% in the ATD patients (p=0.006), 55% (p=0.05) in 40 GD patients and 40% (ns) in 10 HT patients. Anti-ssDNA values were higher in the patients with ATD (mean ± SD: 68.9 ± 9.7 U/mL; p=0.04), in GD (70.5 ± 7.3 U/mL; p=0.001) and in HT patients (70.2 ± 13 U/mL; p=0.04) than in the control group (C: 57 ± 6.8 U/mL). Anti-dsDNA was found in 74% of ATD patients (p=0.001), in 80% of GD (p=0.001) and in 50% of HT patients (p=0.03). Moreover, the concentration of anti-dsDNA was higher in ATD patients (114 ± 88 U/mL; p=0.002) and in GD patients (135 ± 86 U/mL; p=0.002) than in the C (41 ± 23 U/mL) but not in patients with HT (68.3 ± 44 U/mL; ns). In this study ANA, anti-SM and RF were found only in three, two and two patients with ATD, respectively. In conclusion, the data support the idea that the immunological condition of patients with ATD might produce autoantibodies toward several molecules including organ and non-organ specific antigens. The usefulness of systematic thyroid echographic evaluation in patients with autoimune thyroid disease was reported by Morikawa and co-workers (Asunción, Paraguay). Basically 109 goitrous adult patients, were investigated for autoimune thyroid disease and subdivided in three groups: (I) hyperthyroid (n=34), (II) normal thyroid function (n=57) and (III) hypothyroid (n=18). High serum TSH levels corresponded to a echographic pattern of hypoechogeneity. By contrast hyperechogeneity pattern was present in all hyperthyroid patients. The presence of hyperechoid lines was frequently observed in hypothyroid patients with positive anti-TPO antibodies. In conclusion the authors recommend the routine imaging of the thyroid gland in autoimune thyroid disease.