Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Laurberg, Peter
• Krejbjerg, Anne
• Andersen, Stine Linding

Titel

Relapse following antithyroid drug therapy for Graves' hyperthyroidism

Ist Teil von

• Current opinion in endocrinology, diabetes, and obesity, 2014-10, Vol.21 (5), p.415-421

Ort / Verlag

England

Erscheinungsjahr

2014

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• In most patients with hyperthyroidism caused by Graves' disease, antithyroid drug (ATD) therapy is followed by a gradual amelioration of the autoimmune abnormality, but about half of the patients will experience relapse of hyperthyroidism when the ATDs are withdrawn after a standard 1 to 2 years of therapy. This is a major drawback of ATD therapy, and a major concern to patients. We review current knowledge on how to predict and possibly reduce the risk of such relapse. Several patient and disease characteristics, as well as environmental factors and duration of ATD therapy, may influence the risk of relapse after ATD withdrawal. Depending on the presence of such factors, the risk of relapse after ATD withdrawal may vary from around 10 to 90%. Risk factors for relapse should be taken into account when choosing between therapeutic modalities in a patient with newly diagnosed disease, and also when discussing duration of ATD therapy. Prolonged low-dose ATD therapy may be feasible in patients with high risk of relapse, such as children and patients with active Graves' orbitopathy, and in patients with previous relapse who prefer such therapy rather than surgery or radioiodine.