Graves' disease and stiff-person (stiff-man) syndrome: case report and literature review.

OBJECTIVE: To report an association between two autoimmune conditions, Graves' disease and stiff-person (stiff-man) syndrome, and discuss the relevant literature.

METHODS: We present a case of a 52-year-old white woman with stiff-person syndrome who also had Graves' disease, discuss her management, and review the related literature. Pertinent published reports from 1950 through 2004 were researched with use of MEDLINE and PubMed, and cross-references to other articles were reviewed.

RESULTS: A 52-year-old white woman presented with symptoms of hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease. Laboratory data were as follows: thyrotropin <0.005 m IU/mL, thyroxine 11.1 microg/dL, free thyroxine index (FTI) 10.7, and triiodothyronine 170 ng/dL. Thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulins (TSI) and thyrotropin-binding inhibitory immunoglobulins (TBII) were positive at 1,986% and 82.5 U/L, respectively. The hyperthyroidism was treated with propranolol. She had a long-standing history of musculoskeletal complaints and was ultimately diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome. During her thyroid evaluation, she had severe neurologic deterioration that necessitated hospitalization and treatment with clonazepam, baclofen, intravenous immunoglobulin, and subsequently prednisone and azathioprine for appreciable symptomatic relief. The aggressive immunosuppression had a profound effect on her symptoms of hyperthyroidism, results of thyroid function tests, and thyrotropin receptor antibodies (TRABs). Thyrotropin was 0.52 microIU/mL, thyroxine was 6.9 microg/dL, and FTI was 5.7. The TSI decreased from 1,986% to 248%, and her TBII normalized from 82.5 U/L to <5 U/L. She was clinically and biochemically euthyroid at last follow-up in May 2004.

CONCLUSION: This case illustrates the association between TRAB-positive Graves' disease and stiff-person syndrome and the improvement of Graves' disease with immunosuppressive therapy.