| Abstract: | The use of radioactive iodine (131I) in the treatment of Graves' disease results frequently in hypothyroidism requiring thyroid hormone supplementation. Relapse of Graves' disease months after inadequate treatment with 131I is well-recognized. However, late relapse of Graves' disease in a patient rendered hypothyroid by 131I years after therapy has not been reported. The authors discuss a patient who had a relapse of his Graves' disease 23 yr after treatment with 131I. Over the interval the patient had been on 1-thyroxine replacement for hypothyroidism and had persistently high levels of long acting thyroid stimulator or thyroid stimulating antibody. The authors speculate that the immune nature of Graves' disease may play a role in the observed clinical response to 131I. |
