Anti-parietal cell antibodies in patients with Graves disease.

Introduction: Since the 1960s, the term thyrogastric syndrome has defined the association of autoimmune gastritis with autoimmune thyroid disease (ATD). Graves disease, one of the most common autoimmune thyroid diseases, has been associated with autoimmune gastritis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of anti-parietal cell antibodies (APCAs) in a cohort of patients with Graves disease.

Methods: Eighty-three patients with Graves disease and 83 healthy adult blood donors were enrolled. All patients were positive for thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor antibodies (TRAbs). The APCAs were detected using an indirect immunofluorescence technique.

Results: The frequency of APCAs was significantly higher in the patients group than in the control group (12% vs 0% [95% UC, 5%-19%]; P = .001). The frequency of APCAs was slightly higher in female patients with Graves disease (12.7%) than in male patients (10%), but the difference was not statistically significant. The mean (SD) titer of TRAbs in APCA-positive patients was not statistically higher than in APCA-negative patients (21.4 [17] IU/L vs 16.8 [14.9] UI/L; P = .37). No correlation was found between titers of APCA and titers of TRAbs (r = -0.49, P = .148).

Discussion: Although APCAs are frequent in patients with Graves disease, their significance has to be determined.