long-acting thyroid stimulator

stimulator /stim·u·la·tor/ (stim´u-la″tor)

1. any agent that excites functional activity.

2. in electrodiagnosis, an instrument that applies pulses of current to stimulate a nerve, muscle, or area of the central nervous system.

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long-acting thyroid stimulator  (LATS) thyroid-stimulating antibody associated with Graves disease; it is an autoantibody reactive against thyroid cell receptors for thyroid stimulating hormone and thus mimics the effects of the hormone.

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long-acting thyroid stimulator

n. Abbr. LATS

A substance that is present in the blood of hyperthyroid patients and that exerts a prolonged stimulatory effect on the thyroid gland.

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long-acting thyroid stimulator (LATS),

an immunoglobulin, probably an autoantibody, that exerts a prolonged stimulatory effect on the thyroid gland, causing rapid growth of the gland and excess thyroid function, resulting in hyperthyroidism. It is found circulating in the blood of 50% of people with Graves' disease.

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long-acting thyroid stimulator

an autoantibody directed against thyroid-stimulating hormone receptors in the thyroid; abbreviated LATS. Its occurrence is associated with hyperthyroidism in humans.