Autoimmune endocrinopathy associated with diabetes insipidus.

Introduction Certain individuals and families seem to be unusually prone to develop organ-specific autoimmune disorders. The conditions which appear most closely associated are thyroid disease (Hashimoto's thyroiditis, thyrotoxicosis or primary hypothyroidism), Addison's disease, hypoparathyroidism and pernicious anaemia. A number of other conditions may also be associated including diabetes mellitus, ovarian failure, male infertility and autoimmune haemolytic anaemia. The existence of autoimmune hypophysitis was suggested some years ago on histological grounds (Goudie and Pinkerton, 1962). More recently, antibodies reacting with prolactin-secreting cells (Bottazzo et al., 1975) and growth hormone-secreting cells (Bottazzo et al., 1980) have been observed in a number of patients although their clinical significance remains uncertain. In view of this uncertainty, it was thought of interest to report a patient who shows not only auto-immune reactions directed against pancreas, thyroid, adrenal and stomach but in addition has several abnormalities of hypothalamic-pituitary function.