[High level of hsCRP in patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy--preliminary study].

Unlabelled: C-Reactive Protein (CRP) levels are used to indicate the presence of an inflammatory process that may be caused by bacterial infection or pathological processes. The objective of this study was to compare the levels of CRP and hsCRP (high sensitivity CRP) in smoking and non smoking patients with Graves' Ophthalmopathy (GO). Study included 59 hyperthyroid patients (age > 18 years, 50 females, 9 males, mean +/- SD: age 34 +/- 16) with varying degrees of severity of GO (classification according to NOSPECS) with hyperthyroidism prepared to radioiodine therapy. Smoking status was determined by Fagerström test and Brinkman's index.

Conclusions: 1. Smoking additionally stimulates inflammatory processes in the patients with Graves' Ophthalmopathy, 2. Smoking patients with