Graves Eye Disease could be linked to the same cell as Lung Disease

A study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan Health System claim to have found that a cell that causes some of the considerable scarring in lung disease could also affect the eye, causing Graves’ Eye Disease. These new findings are being labeled significant and valuable in the determination of why the eye is subject to such scarring in Graves’ disease.

The cells, called fibrocytes, are immune cells that can potentially infiltrate various tissues in organs such as the liver, lungs and kidneys. The cells then create surplus connective tissue and fibrosis, which normally happens when the organ has been subject to some kind of injury. This connection of fibrocytes to the autoimmune disease, Graves’, is the first of its kind, but it isn’t without strong evidence of its connection. The research involved a test sample of 70 patients who suffered from Graves’ disease and 25 control subjects who had healthy eyesight. Within the 70 people who have the disease the fibrocytes were found in as much as five times the concentration in comparison to the healthy subjects. The fibrocytes were found to be showing in the orbital tissue of the eye and the bloodstream.

Discovering the source of the disease could potentially lead to vision saving treatments much early on in diagnosis. Graves’ eye disease, if left untreated results in a build up of fibrosis and inflammation around the eye, causing the bulging of the eyes associated with Graves’. The surplus scarring that is caused by this build up can lead to severe vision loss or deterioration of the eyesight. Researchers are now hoping to extend these results into further tests to examine what could potentially reduce the fibrocytes in the blood, e.g. rituximab. Not only are the results potentially helpful towards Graves’ but also scarring in other vital organs.

10th January 2010

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