Article Text
Statistics from Altmetric.com
Autoimmune polyglandular syndromes result from the failure of multiple endocrine glands due to an autoimmune process. In autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type 3, autoimmune thyroiditis is associated with autoimmune diseases other than Addison’s disease and hypoparathyroidism.1
We report two identical twins with the rare combination of autoimmune thyroiditis with stiff person syndrome (SPS). SPS presents with progressive muscle rigidity and spasms of axial muscles and extremities.2 The majority of SPS patients have serum autoantibodies against glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD)65,3 an enzyme responsible for the synthesis of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the major inhibitory neurotransmitter of the central nervous system (CNS). GAD65 antibodies probably play a direct pathogenetic role in SPS because they are found within the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and block the activity of …
Footnotes
Competing interests None.
Ethics approval Ethics approval was obtained.
Patient consent Obtained.