Hyperthyroidism in children: treatment outcomes and preferences in Eastern India

Graves’ disease (GD) accounts for majority of hyperthyroidism in children. The best treatment option for hyperthyroidism in children has been controversial for many years. There is poor long term remission with antithyroid drugs in children, though the duration of therapy in children is also debatable. So, many children are treated with radioiodine-131(RAI) ablation or surgical thyroidectomy as “definitive therapy”. But acceptance of these definitive therapies in children is limited because of side effects and also customary beliefs. So the policy is variable between countries, institutions and endocrinologists. Drug-based therapy is usually the initial treatment for GD hyperthyroidism in children. There is paucity of data from India regarding treatment outcomes and acceptability of therapy for hyperthyroidism in children. Our objective was to assess the long-term outcome and acceptability of hyperthyroidism treatment in a referral clinic in eastern India. Materials and Methods