Changes in autoimmune thyroid disease following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation

Autoimmune diseases can be transmitted and eliminated by bone marrow transp lantation (BMT). There have been several cases of autoimmune thyroid diseas e (AITD) occurring after BMT, but AITD remission has been rarely reported. We present four cases in which the remission or transfer of AITD occurred a fter an allogeneic BMT. Two patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) show ed evidence of remission of Hashimoto's thyroiditis which they had before a llogeneic BMT. One patient with SAA, which developed during treatment with propylthiouracil for Graves' disease, underwent allogeneic BMT and showed e vidence of Graves' disease remission following BMT. In one patient, new AIT D occurred after an allogeneic BMT from an HLA-matched sibling who already had AITD. These cases support the evidence that the immune system is newly reconstituted after BMT, and severe autoimmune disease can be an indication for BMT. To fully understand the real changes in autoimmune status after B MT, long-term prospective studies are necessary.