Changes in thyrotropin binding inhibiting immunoglobulins (TBII) in sera of patients with Graves' disease at the time of relapse or exacerbation.

Thyrotropin Binding Inhibiting Immunoglobulins (TBII) were measured in sera of 240 patients with Graves' disease who were followed 0-25 yr as a cross-sectioned study (21 untreated, 189 under therapy and 30 T3-suppressible and drug-discontinued patients) by using solubilized porcine thyroid TSH receptor. Assays were performed by using 50 microliter of serum. All untreated 21 patients showed positive TBII. Frequency of positive patients decreased yearly with treatment although 36% of patients remained positive after 6 yr of therapy. After that time TBII were positive in 61% of follow-up patients and in 16 positive patients who have been treated for more than 10 yr, drug therapy could not be stopped because of recurrence. TBII were positive in 6 of 30 T3-suppressible patients. As a longitudinal study changes in TBII were studied in 10 patients at the time of relapse or exacerbation. TBII increased in parallel with increases in thyroid hormone concentrations in 3 of 10 patients. Six of the others showed earlier or later TBII increases than those in thyroid hormones. One patient did not show any change in TBII, albeit thyroid hormone concentrations were found to be increased. Our observations suggest that abnormal IgGs detected as TBII in sera of patients with Graves' disease by the present method do not explain the occurrence of hyperthyroidism.