value of antibody testing

[Guest guest]

Hi y'all I am going to copy a post I just write for another thyroid

group..except you guys get the original version as well with the actual

article and url, which at this point in time I hope still works.

This is to address the question of value of testing and the possibility

that ATD's help remission not only by time and protection of hyperness

while you heal, but by suppression of antibodies.

Okay..here goes...

> Hello people,

>

> This summer while sharing here that I have passed my 2nd anniversary of

> remission after treatment with Tapazole, I also mentioned that

> some researchers think Anti thyroid drugs (ATD's) may

> have a suppressant effect ( that reduces GD antibodies) on the immune

> system.

>

> It wasn't something that I made up...but I noticed that there was

> instant concern and refutation and a little lecture on " all ( as in

> only) that ATD's do " .

>

> So then I thought I would should one of the articles that I had read,

> which in addition to my excellent endocrinologist having told me the

> same thing, that had led me to the possibility that ATDS have a

> suppressant effect on the immune system that helps with remission, as a

> point of hope and understanding why ATD's may be a very good choice for

> many folks diagnosed with GD

>

> I actually wrote out such a post, but alas not having read the latest

> **** guidelines, my sharing did not pass muster as I had included both

> the url for those who might like to read the article and a long

> excerpt from said piece. I received a gentle explanation from N****,

> which I appreciated, and an invitation to paraphrase and reshare the

> information. That has been sitting in my mailbox for several months.

>

> So I guess the good news you who are currently and definitively in the

> deep throes of battling with GD can get from that fact ( c'mon, it isn't

> nice to simply conclude that I am lazy) is that THERE IS LIFE AFTER GD,

> and I have one!

>

> One article I read suggested that through Thyroglobulin and

> thyroperoxidase autoantibody testing it has been seen that in Graves'

> disease, classical anti-thyroid drugs such as methimazole not only

> inhibit hyper-secretion of T4 and T3, but may also act as

> immunosuppressors since levels of

> TPO Abs and TS Abs The antibodies that our immune systems and glands

> create that cause all the havoc do usually decrease significantly.

>

> Studies of subtotal thyroidectomy also show an antibody titers

> decline.. Since there is surgical removal of the lymphocytes

> infiltrating the gland it is then inferred that this is effecting those

> antibodies that are produced within the gland itself.

>

> In contrast, and a puzzlement to the researchers is the effect of

> radiation therapy. After RAI ---131I treatment, ANTIBODIES go UP, (serum

> antithyroglobulin and antithyroperoxidase Abs rise sharply) to many

> times the pre-treatment level. Lots of you folks know this because you

> have gone through this...tough I hear. Even though the sharp spike of

> antibodies is transitory and antibodies levels usually drop after a few

> months...they are still higher than normal, that is still pathological

> after RAI.

>

> One researcher suggested this may mean that RAI, irradiation, further

> depresses the suppressor T cell activity or that it INCREASES antibody

> production by releasing infiltrated lymphocytes in the blood stream

> (28).

> Since all forms of treatment for Graves' disease (anti-thyroid drugs,

> 131I or subthyroidectomy) have pros and cons, several authors have

> evaluated the potential interest of measuring Tg and TPO Ab levels

> before treatment to select the most appropriate therapy or to evaluate

> the chances of natural remission.

>

> C'est interesant, n'est pas?

> Jeannette

>

>

>

and now the actual article and URL ...

Thyroglobulin and thyroperoxidase autoantibody testing: clinical value

and methodological aspects

Luc Binet

In Graves' disease, classical anti-thyroid drugs such as methimazole

inhibit hyper-secretion of T4 and T3, but may also act as

immunosuppressors since levels of

TPO Abs and TS Abs (if present) do usually decrease significantly.

When subtotal thyroidectomy is preferred to anti-thyroid treatment,

antibody titers also decline steadily. Since there is surgical removal

of the lymphocytes infiltrating

the gland, this phenomenon is quite logical but also confirms that

antibodies are produced within the gland and subsequently released in

the circulation.

More puzzling is the effect of radiation therapy. After 131I treatment,

serum antithyroglobulin and antithyroperoxidase Abs rise sharply, to

many times the

pre-treatment level. This phenomenon is transitory and levels usually

return to lower but still pathological levels after a few months. A

possible explanation would be

that irradiation further depresses the suppressor T cell activity or

that it increases antibody production by releasing infiltrated

lymphocytes in the blood stream (28).

Since all forms of treatment for Graves' disease (anti-thyroid drugs,

131I or subthyroidectomy) have pros and cons, several authors have

evaluated the potential

interest of measuring Tg and TPO Ab levels before treatment to select

the most appropriate therapy or to evaluate the chances of natural

remission.

Unfortunately, all studies available to date indicate that antibody

testing are not a deciding factor.

To read the full article go to:

http://www.labodia.com/revthy.htm#Thyroid

******

Hope this helps...Jeannette