Endocrine Ophthalmopathy in a Patient under Continuous Immunosuppressive Therapy after Cardiac Transplantation

We present the case of a female patient who has been on immunosuppressive therapy consisting of cyclosporin A and prednisolone for 9 years because of heterotopic (auxiliary) heart transplantation in 1984. In 1992 the patient developed Graves' disease followed by endocrine ophthalmopathy class IV 1 year later. To our knowledge this is the first report on Graves' disease with subsequent severe endocrine ophthalmopathy in a patient under immunosuppressive treatment with cyclosporin A and prednisolone in doses that effectively prevent heart transplant rejection. Prednisolone, which is used as a first line treatment of endocrine ophthalmopathy, and cyclosporin A, both inhibit T cell function. However, in this patient they were not effective in preventing the development of Graves' disease with subsequent endocrine ophthalmopathy, both of which are autoimmune diseases.