Carbonic Anhydrase Isozymes of Red Blood Cells in Surgically Treated Hyperthyroidism

Abstract

NISHINARI, S. Carbonic Anhydrase Isozymes of Red Blood Cells in Surgically Treated Hyperthyroidism. Tohoku J. exp. Med., 1982, 136 (4), 405-411 Red blood cells of 22 patients with hyperthyroidism and 4 recurrence cases were fractionated into 2 groups of young and old red cells with Ficoll 400. Carbonic anhydrase B (CA B) and C (CA C) of each of young and old red cells were measured by means of single radial immunodiffusion. CA B levels of young and old red cells of untreated patients were 4.8±1.8 (mean±S.D.) mg/g Hb and 5.6±1.8mg/g Hb, respectively. After administration of methimazol for about one month, the CA B level of young red cells slightly increased (7.0±1.8mg/g Hb), then the patients were submitted to subtotal thyroidectomy. CA B levels of young (12.0±1.8 mg/g Hb) and old red cells (9.4±1.8mg/g Hb) were not normalized one month after the treatment though high levels of serum thyroid hormone rapidly decreased after the operation. A period of 2 to 6 months was further required to return to normal levels of young (15.2±1.7mg/g Hb) and old red cells (15.1±1.6mg/g Hb). Although almost all the investigators reported that CA C did not diminish in hyperthyroidism, CA C levels of young and old red cells were 78 per cent and 88 per cent of the normal levels, respectively.