ANTITHYROID AND ANTIADRENAL AUTOANTIBODIES IN ANTIGLOMERULAR BASEMENT-MEMBRANE DISEASE, THIN BASEMENT-MEMBRANE DISEASE AND ALPORT-SYNDROME

The basement membranes of the glomerulus, thyroid and adrenal all cont ain the Goodpasture antigen, the target of autoantibodies in antiglome rular basement membrane (GEM) disease, Antithyroid antibodies can be a ssociated with antiGBM disease, and there have been occasional reports of antithyroid antibodies in Alport syndrome, an inherited kidney dis ease where the GEM lacks the Goodpasture antigen, The aim of this stud y was to determine how often antithyroid and antiadrenal autoantibodie s occurred in antiGBM disease, Alport syndrome and a related condition , thin basement membrane disease (TBMD), Sera from patients with antiG BM disease (n = 19), Alport syndrome (n = 5) or TBMD (n = 13) were tes ted for antithyroglobulin, antithyroid microsomal and antiadrenal anti bodies. Five of the patients with antiGBM disease (5/19, 26%, P NS) ha d antimicrosomal, and one had antithyroglobulin, antibodies (1/19, 5%, P NS), No patient with Alport syndrome had antithyroid antibodies, On e with TBMD (1/13, 8%, P NS) had antithyroglobulin and antimicrosomal antibodies at titres of 1/400 and 1/25,600, respectively. Both patient s with antithyroglobulin antibodies had previously been diagnosed with hypothyroidism, No one with antiGBM disease, Alport syndrome or TBMD had antiadrenal antibodies. Antithyroid microsomal antibodies do not o ccur significantly more often in patients with antiGBM disease than in normals, and antithyroid and antiadrenal antibodies are not associate d with Alport syndrome or TBMD.