AN INVESTIGATION OF PEDIGREES OF 110 PATIENTS WITH GRAVES-DISEASE ANDTHE CLINICAL-SIGNIFICANCE OF DETERMINATIONS OF ANTITHYROID ANTIBODIESOF THEIR FIRST-DEGREE RELATIVES

Eight hundred and ten pedigree members of 110 patients with Graves' di sease were studied. In 700 first-degree relatives, inquiry of medical history, physical examination (including eyes, thyroid, heart rate, et c), thyroid function tests (serum T3, T4 and TSH levels), determinatio ns of thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb) and thyroid microsomal antibodie s (TmAb) were performed. For male (female) probands, the incidence of Graves' disease in male (female) first-degree relatives were investiga ted and their serum TgAb and TmAb were analysed. The incidence of thes e two kinds of autoantibodies in the male (female) first-degree relati ves of familial and nonfamilial Graves' disease were analysed. Eightee n persons with positive TgAb and TmAb from 5 pedigrees had been follow ed up one year after initial determinations. Our results suggest that the positive rates of TgAb and TmAb in the first-degree relatives of G raves' disease were coincident with the incidence of Graves' disease, and the positive results of TgAb and TmAb in the first-degree relative s of Graves' disease may be an indicator of pre-Graves' disease or pre -autoimmune thyroid diseases.