Anti tpo antibody

Published August 28 2017 There are different types of thyroid antibodies that are present in autoimmune thyroid conditions. Some people with Graves’ Disease and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis test positive for only one type of thyroid antibody, while others will test positive for multiple antibodies. In this article I will discuss why people develop these thyroid antibodies. I will then discuss some of the different types of antibodies. But it probably makes sense to first discuss what an antibody is. An antibody is a Y-shaped protein that is part of an immune system response to something called an antigen. An antigen is a foreign substance (i.e. pathogenic bacteria, food proteins, chemicals) that causes an immune response. These antibodies are secreted by B cells of the immune system, and they essentially serve as a form of protection. So for example, if someone has a bacterial infection, the body will produce antibodies that specifically bind to the bacteria, and these antibodies can also cause the immune system to respond in other ways to destroy the bacteria. Similarly, if someone has a sensitivity to a certain food then they will produce antibodies against the food proteins. With autoimmunity, the antibodies bind to the body’s own tissues. These are the antibodies that are measured when doing a blood test, and of course I’ll be talking about these during this article. Why Do Some People Develop Thyroid Antibodies? There are both environmental and genetic factors that can cau...

Clinical Information Thyroperoxidase (TPO) is an enzyme involved in thyroid hormone synthesis, catalyzing the oxidation of iodide on tyrosine residues in thyroglobulin for the synthesis of triiodothyronine and thyroxine (tetraiodothyronine). TPO is a membrane-associated hemo-glycoprotein expressed only in thyrocytes and is one of the most important thyroid gland antigens. Disorders of the thyroid gland are frequently caused by autoimmune mechanisms with the production of autoantibodies. Anti-TPO antibodies activate complement and are thought to be significantly involved in thyroid dysfunction and the pathogenesis of hypothyroidism. The determination of TPO antibody levels is the most sensitive test for detecting autoimmune thyroid disease (eg, Hashimoto thyroiditis, idiopathic myxedema, and Graves disease), and detectable concentrations of anti-TPO antibodies are observed in most patients with these disorders. The highest TPO antibody levels are observed in patients suffering from Hashimoto thyroiditis. In this disease, the prevalence of TPO antibodies is about 90% of cases, confirming the autoimmune origin of the disease. These autoantibodies also frequently occur (60%-80%) in the course of Graves disease. In patients with subclinical hypothyroidism, the presence of TPO antibodies is associated with an increased risk of developing overt hypothyroidism. Many clinical endocrinologists use the TPO antibody test as a diagnostic tool in deciding whether to treat a patient with...