Abstract
Complement studies were performed on 21 patients, 2 months to 16 years of age, with various types of thyroid disease. Circulating antithyroglobulin or antimicrosomal antibodies were present in 12/21 (titers > 1:40). All sera were quantitated for C4 (classical pathway); factor B, properdin and properdin convertase (alternative pathway); C3 and C3-C9 activity (both path-ways). In addition, functional assays were done by determining the extent of complement activation by an immune complex (classical pathway) or by zymosan, cobra venom factor, or rabbit erythrocytes (alternative pathway). Abnormalities were found in 16 patients, 11/12 with antithyroid antibodies and 5/9 without detectible antibodies. All but one of the abnormalities occurred in the alternative pathway. These consisted primarily of low serum levels (> 3 SD below the mean for age) of factor B and properdin or ineffective function with CoF. Such abnormalities suggest in vivo utilization of this pathway. No association, however, exists between the titers of antibody and any abnormality. Since C3 is deposited on the thyroid gland in many of these disorders, it would appear that it is the alternative pathway which is responsible for that deposition. Further, since antibody is not usually associated with alternative pathway activity, its role in that process is open to question.
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Richman, R., Stitzel, A., Urmson, J. et al. 336 UTILIZATION OF THE ALTERNATIVE PATHWAY OF COMPLEMENT IN PATIENTS WITH THYROID DISEASE: PRESUMPTIVE EVIDENCE AGAINST A ROLE FOR ANTIBODY. Pediatr Res 12 (Suppl 4), 419 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197804001-00341
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197804001-00341