Specificity of the immunosuppressive action of carbimazole in Graves's disease

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the selectivity of the immunosuppressive action of carbimazole by comparing the known effects of the drug on thyroid autoantibodies in patients with Graves's disease with those it might have on the associated but non-thyroidal gastric parietal cell antibodies in identical samples from the same patients. Assessment of gastric parietal cell antibody activity in 19 patients with hyperthyroid Graves's disease, through a course of treatment with carbimazole, failed to show any significant alteration in antibody activity in response to the drug. In contrast, thyroxine-stimulating hormone receptor antibody concentrations decreased when carbimazole treatment was started.