Dysthyroid eye disease is a rare condition, mainly found in people with Graves' hyperthyroidism. Autoimmune responses to thyroid/orbit shared antigens drive extensive tissue remodelling. This includes excess adipogenesis and over-production of extra-cellular matrix, which both tend to occur in the earlier 'active' inflammatory stages of disease. With time these give way to fibrosis, which has a profound impact on eye motility and may be life-long. Progress has been made in identifying the shared autoantigen(s) and the role of specific T cells and autoantibodies in remodelling, which have facilitated development of novel therapies. However relatively little is known of the autoimmune processes under-pinning fibrosis and currently there are no adequate medical treatments.
摘要: 甲状腺功能异常性眼病为罕见疾病, 主要见于 Graves甲状腺功能亢进的患者。由于甲状腺组织与眼眶组织存在共同抗原, 自身免疫反应可导致组织重塑。此过程包括过多的脂肪生成和细胞外基质的过度产生, 这两种情况均易发生在疾病活跃的炎症早期。随着疾病进展为组织纤维化阶段, 会对眼球的运动造成影响, 甚至影响终身。关于Graves眼病的在识别共同的自身免疫性抗原、特异性T细胞、自身抗体在组织重塑中的作用的研究已经取得了进展, 从而有助于研发新的治疗方法。然而, 在纤维化中自身免疫的在整个过程的作用机制还不清楚, 目前缺乏有效的药物治疗。.