Serum Levels of the Cytokines IL-1β, IL-6 and ICAM-1 After ¹³¹I-Treatment of Graves' Disease and Nodular Goiter

Cytokines might be involved in the immunological flare up, seen in some patients after ¹³¹I-treatment. Therefore, we measured serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 soluble receptor (IL-6sR) and Intercellular-adhesion-molecule-1 (ICAM-1) as well as tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) after ¹³¹I-treatment of Graves' disease and nodular goiter. Seven patients with Graves' disease, eight with toxic nodular goiter and seven with non-toxic nodular goiter, were followed after ¹³¹I-treatment. The patients were treated in the euthyroid state. Blood samples were drawn at day 0, 4, 7, 21 and after 3 months. Significant increases were seen in free T₄ index (FT₄I), free T₃ index (FT₃I) and thyroglobulin (Tg) within the first weeks, and TSH simultaneously decreased. None of the cytokines demonstrated any change during follow-up, neither in the entire group nor in subgroups. FT₄I and FT₃I correlated significantly to ICAM-1. In conclusion, our data suggest that there does not seem to be prolonged cytokine activation after ¹³¹I-treatment for thyroid disorders.

Key words

Radioiodine - Goiter - Hyperthyroidism - Interleukin-6 - Interleukin-1 - ICAM-1