Simple radioimmunological assay of anti-alpha-galactosyl antibody (anti-Gal): application to autoimmune thyroid diseases and thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy.

Two radioimmunological techniques for the measurement of anti-alpha-galactosyl (anti-Gal) antibodies were developed and we demonstrated that this antibody is present in the serum of most untreated patients with Graves' disease, thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) and autoimmune thyroiditis. Thyrotropin-binding inhibiting immunoglobulins (TBII) and Thyroid Stimulating Antibodies (TSAb) are frequently found in serum of patients with Graves' disease but not with autoimmune thyroiditis. Although TBII and anti-Gal were found sometimes simultaneously in the same serum samples, we demonstrated that anti-Gal could be present in the absence of TBII and reciprocally.