Question

Short / Long answer type questions.
A patient with symptoms of hyperthyroidism is found to have circulating antibodies against the receptors for the thyroid hormones. Can you deduce the cause of the hyperthyroidism?

Answer 1

This is a case of Grave's disease. Graves’ disease is a type of autoimmune problem that causes the thyroid gland to produce too much thyroid hormone, which is called hyperthyroidism. In Graves’ disease, the immune system creates antibodies that cause the thyroid to grow and make more thyroid hormone than our body needs. These antibodies are called thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulins (TSIs). The TSIs bind to thyroid cell receptors, which are normally responsive to thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH—the hormone responsible for telling the thyroid to produce hormones). The TSIs then trick the thyroid into growing and producing too much thyroid hormone, leading to hyperthyroidism.