Graves’ Disease - The Interaction of Lymphocytes and Thyroid Cells

Abstract

Human autoimmune thyroid disorders (AITD), Graves’ disease (GD) and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, are characterized by reactivity to self-thyroid antigens. Graves’ disease is the archetype for organ-specific autoimmune disorders, very important to our understanding the mechanisms responsible for progression of autoimmunity. It has been known for years that hyperthyroidism in Graves’disease is induced by immunological reaction, in which TSH receptor antibodies bind to the receptors on the surface of thyrocytes, activate them and initiate thyroid hormone production independent of the hypothalamic-hypophyseal control. It is known nowadays that, probably for environmental or endogenous reasons, Graves’disease may develop in genetically predisposed individuals [Weetman, 2004].