Follow-Up Comparison of Short-TermVersus1-Year Antithyroid Drug Therapy for the Thyrotoxicosis of Graves' Disease*

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Abstract
We have treated 68 thyrotoxic patients with Graves' disease with a single daily dose of 30 mg methimazole until they were clinically euthyroid and their plasma thyroid hormone concentrations were within normal limits. Sixteen of 56 patients (29%) treated 4.8 ± 0.2 months (mean ± SEM; range, 1.5–8.5) for their initial attack of thyrotoxicosis have remained in remission for 54.4 ± 7.7 months (range, 12–105). Twenty-seven of the patients who relapsed were treated with a subsequent 1- yr course of methimazole. Five of these patients (19%) have maintained a remission for 29.6 ± 10.8 months (range, 3–66); the remainder relapsed after 7.1 ± 2.3 months (range, 1–50). If the patients lost to follow-up while known to still be in remission are excluded, the sustained remission rate is 12 of 52 (23%) for initial short term therapy and 3 of 25 (12%) for the subsequent 1-yr of antithyroid treatment. The results of short term antithyroid drug treatment in 12 patients previously treated with long term antithyroid drugs or thyroidectomy were similar, but the followup period was not as long. Short term antithyroid drug therapy is a potentially long lasting, innocuous, and relatively inexpensive program for the treatment of Graves' disease, especially for patients with small goiters. (J Clin Endocrinol Metab55: 1138, 1982)