Thyroid Antibodies After131I Treatment for Hyperthyroidism

Antibodies to thyroglobulin and cytoplasmic antigen have been studied by immunofluorescence, tanned cell hemagglutination and complement fixation methods in 115 patients before 131I treatment for hyperthyroidism, in 439 patients after such therapy, and in 29 patients after surgical treatment for hyperthyroidism. During the first year after the radioiodine therapy there was a significant increase in the cytoplasmic antibodies; no such rise was observed for the thyroglobulin antibodies. Subsequently, the thyroid antibody titers fell steadily below the pretreatment level. Surgical treatment for hyperthyroidism was found to result in a significant decrease in humoral thyroid antibodies within one year. At the examination carried out during the year after the radioiodine therapy,thyroid antibodies were found in a greater proportion of patients who developed hypothyroidism than in others. At a later examination no such difference was found. Thyroid antibodies were found in a greater proportion of patients cured...