What does thyrotropin receptor antibodies mean?

People always encounter many problems in the process of growing up. Especially when the body becomes ill, it is necessary to go to the hospital for examination. No one dares to guarantee that he will never go to the hospital in his life. Whenever he goes to the hospital for examination, the series of medical terms used by the doctor always make people confused. Among them, thyrotropin receptor antibody is a more professional term. So what does thyrotropin receptor antibody mean?

Thyroid stimulating hormone receptor antibody (TRAb), also known as membrane receptor antibody, is an antibody that directly acts on the TSH receptor on the thyroid cell membrane. It belongs to immunoglobulin IgG and can be divided into the following three categories according to its function:

① Thyroid stimulating antibodies (TSAb), also known as thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI), bind to TSH receptors on the thyroid follicle membrane, stimulate thyroid enlargement, and enhance its functional activity. It is the main cause of Graves' disease. ② Thyroid function inhibitory antibodies (TFIAb): also known as thyroid function inhibitory immunoglobulin (TFII), after binding to the TSH receptor, it can inhibit thyroid function and cause hypothyroidism. ③Thyroid growth-stimulating immunoglobulin (TGI): can stimulate thyroid enlargement but does not affect its function.

Clinical significance

(1) TRAb is of great significance for the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of Graves' disease. The TRAb positivity rate in patients with Graves' disease can reach over 95%, so it can be used as a basis for the diagnosis of Graves' disease. When anti-thyroid drugs are used for treatment, the activity of TRAb may decrease significantly as the condition improves. When the blood thyroid hormone level returns to normal, if TRAb gradually decreases and even turns negative, the possibility of recurrence after stopping the drug is small; if TRAb continues to be positive after treatment, it means that the treatment effect is poor and the possibility of recurrence after stopping the drug is high.

(2) TRAb may also be positive in patients with hypothyroidism and autoimmune thyroiditis, which is helpful for the etiological diagnosis of the above diseases.

From the above introduction, we can see that thyrotropin receptor antibodies are an indicator for thyroid examination. Generally speaking, when the antibody is positive, most of them will stimulate thyroid enlargement, which has obvious clinical significance for hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism. Of course, if you encounter this more professional term when you go to the hospital, you can ask the doctor to explain it in plain words.