A Long-term Follow-up of Serum Myeloperoxidase Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibodies (MPO-ANCA) in Patients with Graves Disease Treated with Propylthiouracil

Propylthiouracil (PTU) is known to induce myeloperoxidase antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (MPO-ANCA) in patients with Graves disease (GD). Previously, we showed that serum MPO-ANCA were frequently seen in patients with GD treated with PTU. In this study, we analyzed 13 patients with positive MPO-ANCA examining a long-term clinical consequence of these patients as well as antibody titers during 5.6 +/- 3.0 years. PTU therapy was continued in 8 patients and discontinued in 5 patients. Antibody titers decreased in 7 of 8 patients who discontinued PTU therapy but remained positive in 5 patients 5 years after PTU withdrawal. The initial MPO-ANCA levels were significantly higher in those antibody titers remained positive for longer than 5 years (n=5) than in those titers turned to be negative within 5 years after PTU withdrawal (n=3) (203 +/- 256 EU and 22 +/- 2 EU, respectively, P=0.04), but there were no significant differences in age, gender, duration of PTU therapy or dosage of PTU. Among 5 patients who continued PTU therapy, 2 patients with initially low MPO-ANCA titers turned to having negative antibody. No patients had new symptoms or signs of vasculitis throughout the follow-up periods. The long-term follow-up study suggests that higher MPO-ANCA levels remain positive for years after PTU withdrawal but are rarely associated with vasculitis.