HISTOMORPHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THYROID AUTOIMMUNE-DISEASES - CONSEQUENCES FOR OUR UNDERSTANDING OF ENDOCRINE OPHTHALMOPATHY

In this short review we will first evaluate the histomorphological asp ects of the human and spontaneous animal thyroid autoimmune diseases. These diseases include Hashimoto goiter, primary myxedema, Graves' dis ease, and the spontaneous forms of thyroiditis in the Bio Breeding (BE ) rat, the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse, and the obese strain (OS) of chicken. Based on sequential histomorphological events in the animal models of thyroid autoimmune disease, a mechanism for the pathogenesis of thyroid autoimmune disease is proposed. Since one of the human thy roid autoimmune diseases, specifically Graves' disease, is often assoc iated with ophthalmopathy, the histomorphological aspects of the ophth almopathic process are also evaluated to consider its possible autoimm une character.