Thyroid Antibody Tests - when invented/first used?

[marigold22]

Does anyone know, please, when one or both of the Thyroid Antibody blood tests were first introduced? Could it have been prior to 1981 when I was first diagnosed with Hypothyroid? I personally did not discover I have Hashimotos Thyroiditis until January 2017 when I did a private blood test. I'm trying to discover if there was any possibility I could have had antibody tests done on me at least prior to the 1990's. I have my own personal reasons for needing to know.

[Marz]

1912 😊 Google Hashimotos discovery -and all will be revealed 😊

[marigold22 in reply to Marz]

Thanks Marz They most certainly could have done thyroid antibody blood tests on me in 1981 then !

[Marz in reply to marigold22]

That is when they were discovered - but not sure when they were put into practice with testing. there has been a reluctance to accept the findings of Mr Hashimoto in some quarters

[marigold22 in reply to Marz]

Would you presume Marz that thyroid antibodies were being tested by taking blood in the 1980s or 1990s in the UK ?

[marigold22 in reply to marigold22]

Yeah, I've read about the wonderful Mr Hashimoto. I believe he had an uphill struggle to convince of his findings.

[Marz in reply to marigold22]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-...

.

[marigold22 in reply to Marz]

Wikipedia states :- "Although there is overlap, anti-TPO antibodies are most commonly associated with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and activating TRAbs are most commonly associated with Graves' disease.".

OMG I'm even more confused now as it was my thyroglobulin antibodies which were raised in my Medichecks private test and Peroxidase antibody was within range.

[Marz in reply to marigold22]

Anti Tg are not the same as TR anti-bodies you have mentioned above. The former is tested for Hashimotos and the latter for Graves ....

[Gcart]

Interesting question. Dont know though

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

marigold22,

In PubMed the earliest reference to the word "antimicrosomal" (for that was what they were called before thyroid peroxidase was identified as the substance they attach to) is 1965.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/142...

However we can push that back to 1951 if we relax the search to "thyroid antibodies".

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/148...

Just because they are mentioned doesn't mean there was an available test.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Some links about antibodies

It seems there can be some crossover in both Graves and Hashimoto's, so like most thyroid things it's pretty complex

TR Ab is same or similar to TSI test, both are used to diagnose Graves

labtestsonline.org.uk/under...

mayomedicallaboratories.com...

High TG antibodies can indicate number of conditions, which is why it's not a test on its own for either Graves or Hashimoto's

healthline.com/health/antit...

Other links

mayomedicallaboratories.com...

mayomedicallaboratories.com...

[marigold22 in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks for the links SlowDragon. The Mayo Clinic link has much good information. Amongst it is .....Diagnosis of Autoimmune Thyroid Disease:

Measurements of antithyroid peroxidase (TPO) have higher sensitivity and equal specificity to antithyroglobulin (anti-Tg) measurements in the diagnosis of autoimmune thyroid disease. Anti-Tg (thyroglobulin) levels should, therefore, only be measured if anti-TPO (peridoxase) measurements are NEGATIVE. My peridoxase was low therefore NHS didn't test my thyroglobulin. Very confusing, scientific and I'm sure Profs of Endo don't know this stuff. Thanks all for contributing and helping

[Quokka]

I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's around 1983. My GP tested me for thyroid antibodies at the time. It was helpful because then I had some idea of what to expect from the illness. Also from time to time doctors have tested me to check I haven't got any other autoimmune diseases.

[marigold22 in reply to Quokka]

Thanks Quokka , that is really helpful. i never ever had any thyroid antibody tests on the NHS, not even by Professors of Endocrinology. Disgusting

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to marigold22]

If TPO are negative they don't normally diagnose Hashimoto's on just high TG

I was lucky my GP tested 23 years ago. TSH was raised at 8 but both TPO and TG were so high to be virtually "off the scale" in words of endo. But it didn't change treatment at all, other than if I had had no antibodies and TSH of 8, I would have been struggling to get Levo prescribed.

[marigold22]

I personally now regard Hypothyroidism as a totally different auto immune illness to Hashimotos Thyroiditis. I'm sure endos don't but Hypothyroidism + thyroid antibodies = Hashimotos.

[diogenes Remembering]

The first ones in the UK were started around 1970 in Barts Hospital where the first antibody test for Hashimoto's was developed. I know this first hand because my wife developed Hashimoto's at this time, and since she was a technician for Prof Reg Hall in Newcastle on Tyne who pioneered the TSH test in the UK, he had good contact with Barts and she was one of the first to get the test and show positive antibodies.

[marigold22 in reply to diogenes]

Thanks diogenes , that's really helpful.