Kontiainen S, Melamies L, Miettinen A, Weber T
Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, University of Helsinki, Finland.
APMIS. 1994 Sep;102(9):716-20. doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1994.tb05225.x.
Serum samples with normal and abnormal levels of thyrotropin (TSH) were tested for thyroid autoantibodies. Thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibodies were detected by a radioimmunoassay (RIA) and by an agglutination method, and thyroglobulin (Tg) antibodies by an agglutination method. Elevated levels of TPO antibodies were detected in 47% of samples with abnormal and in 12% of samples with normal levels of TSH (p < 0.001). Sixty-one percent of the biochemically hypothyroid and 26% of the biochemically hyperthyroid samples contained these antibodies (p < 0.001). Tg antibodies were only detected together with TPO antibodies. Testing of TPO antibodies from samples with abnormal TSH levels is discussed.
