All issues > Volume 34(6); 1991

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1991;34(6):812-819. Published online June 30, 1991.

A clinical study of Graves' disease in children.

Kee Young Park¹, Ho Kyung Choi¹, Jong Jin Seo¹, Young Hun Chung¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Korea

Received: January 15, 1991;  Accepted: March 17, 1991.

Abstract

The authors analyzed the clinical manifestations, laboratory results, and relationship between the presence of antithyroid autoantibodies and response of short-term antithyroid medication in 20 children with Graves* disease who were diagosed at the Department of Pediatarics, Chungnam National Universtiy Hospital from March 1985 to February 1990. The results were as follows; 1) The ratio of male to female was 1:9. 2) The age distribution of patients ranged from 9.7 year to 14.6 year (mean: 12.4±1.4yr) and 95% of patients were more than 10 years of age. 3) The most common clinical manifestation was goiter followed by exophthalmos, tremor, nervous- ness, excessive sweating, excessive activity, palpitation, and cardiac murmur in the descending order. 4) The mean serum Ts level (6.32±2.48ng/ml), T< (21.66±7.03 /zIU/ml) and Free T4 (7.36±2.63 ng/dl) were above normal range and TSH (0.31 ± 0.33 /zIU/ml) was below normal range before treatment. 5) 16 out of 20 patients (80%) were antimicrosomal antibody positive and 9 out of 20 patients (45%) were antithyroglobulin positive. 9 out of 10 patients (90%) were TSH receptor antibody positive. 6) The results of thyroid function test were normalized in 11 of 18 patients (61.1%) after 3 months’ antithyroid medication and in 13 of 16 patients (81.3%) after 6 months, antithyroid medication. 7) The clinical manifestations were more severe and the mean serum level of TSH after 6 months* antithyroid medication was significantly depressed in the patient group with AMA and ATA than the grouo without AMA or ATA. The prevalence of AMA and ATA was higher in patients with large goiter.

Keywords :Graves disease in Children;Antimicrosomal antibody Antithyroglobulin antibody;TSH receptor antibody