Hyperthyroidism in Children Treated with Long Term Medical Therapy: Twenty-Five Percent Remission Every Two Years*

We use an antithyroid drug for the treatment of hyperthyroidism due to Graves’ disease in children and adolescents for as long as the patients are willing to comply andSurvival analysis methods applied to the follow-up data on 63 children confirm our original statistical findings and suggest a continuing remission rate of 25% every 2.1 ± 0.4 (±se) yr regardless of the duration of previous therapy. The median time to remission was 4.3 ± 1.5 yr, and 75% of patients are predicted to be in remission in 10.9 ± 2.3 yr. Of 36 patients who went into remission, defined by their being euthyroid for 1 yr after cessation cessation of therapy, 1 relapsed, and 2 developed spontaneous hypothyroidism; the remainder are euthyroid 1–11.7 yr after therapy was discontinued. Of 14 who switched from medical therapy, 2 of 7 treated surg...