Myopathy Associated with Acute Hypothyroidism following Radioiodine Therapy for Graves Disease in an Adolescent

We describe acute myopathy following I-131 treatment for hyperthyroidism due to Graves Disease (GD) in an adolescent. A 15 year-old diagnosed with GD required treatment with radioactive iodine (I-131) therapy. Six weeks post I-131, he developed generalized muscle cramps. The CK was 19.800 U/L, the total thyroxine was 2.3 mcg/dL (29.6 nmol/L SI) and the estimated free thyroxine (EFT) was 0.5 ng/dL (6.4 pmol/L SI). The ALT was 112 U/L and AST was 364 U/L (normal <35 U/L). The muscle cramps and CK elevation normalized five months after initiation of thyroid replacement therapy. This observation shows that acute myopathy can rarely occur in pediatric patients with GD following treatment with I-131.