Comparison of the correlation between serum autoantibodies against aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 and thyrotropin receptor in patients with Graves’ ophthalmopathy

Abstract

Objectives: Graves’ ophthalmopathy (GO) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by orbital inflammation related to Graves’ disease. Identifying the titers of potential autoimmune target such as thyrotropin receptor autoantibody (TRAb) and anti-aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) antibody could be valuable and convenient in evaluating clinical activity and severity of GO to provide necessary treatment. This study aims to investigate the correlations among serum titers of anti-ALDH2 antibody and TRAb, thyroid function and clinical activity of GO. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of fifty GO patients to identify the correlation coefficients between anti-ALDH2 antibody and the Clinical Activity Score (CAS); anti-ALDH2 antibody and TRAb; and TRAb and thyroid-related biochemical parameters using Pearson’s correlation. Results: After the analysis, there was a positive significant association between anti-ALDH2 antibody and CAS (r=0.301, P=0.033); however, no relationship was found between anti-ALDH2 antibody and TRAb (r=0.109, P=0.452). Additionally, TRAb was correlated with T3 (r=0.333, P=0.018), free-T4 (r=0.336, P=0.017) and TSH (r=-0.315, P=0.026), yet not associated with CAS (r=-0.009, P=0.948) as well. Conclusions: Anti-ALDH2 antibody could be a suitable assessment tool to evaluate the clinical activity of GO for providing patients with necessary treatment. The significant correlation between anti-ALDH2 antibody and CAS indicated that it might be more specific to the orbital tissues in GO patients compared to TRAb, which is instead more specific to the thyroid function.