Immunology of Autoimmune Thyroid Diseases

Abstract

IN 1897 Ehrlich¹ coined the term "horror autotoxicus" to describe his view that the body seemed "unwilling" to mount an immune assault on its own tissues. In the early part of this century, with the hypothesis that the hyperplastic thymus gland might, in some obscure way, cause Graves' disease,² the field of thyroid autoimmunity was opened, and in the past two decades it has received particular impetus. The study of autoimmune thyroid disorders has provided valuable insights into the pathogenesis not only of specific thyroid disorders but also of autoimmune diseases in general.The B Lymphocyte in Autoimmune Thyroid Disease . . .