Journal
EUROPEAN THYROID JOURNAL
Volume 11, Issue 3, Pages -Publisher
BIOSCIENTIFICA LTD
DOI: 10.1530/ETJ-22-0031
Keywords
hyperthyroidism; thyrotoxicosis; Graves' hyperthyroidism; Graves' disease; TSH-receptor anti-bodies; anti-thyroid drugs adverse drug reactions; adverse events
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This study aimed to investigate the timing and characteristics of adverse drug reactions in patients with Graves' hyperthyroidism (GH) treated with anti-thyroid drugs (ATD) for up to 48 months. The results showed that 10% of the patients experienced adverse drug reactions, with 75% of the cases occurring within the first 6 months of treatment. Skin reactions were the most common adverse reaction, comprising 68% of the registered reactions. After 24 months, no further adverse drug reactions were recorded when the methimazole dose was lowered to 5 mg/day.
Purpose: In this prospective multicenter study with patients newly diagnosed with Graves' hyperthyroidism (GH), we studied the timing and characteristics of adverse drug reactions in patients treated with anti-thyroid drugs (ATD) for up to 48 months. Methods: Patients with GH were treated with ATD until remission and hereafter with a low-dose regime to keep the patients in remission. The patients were followed with blood samples and recording of adverse events approximately every second month for the first 2 years and every third month for the following 2 years. Results: We included 208 patients and the patients were treated for a median of 22 (range: 0.5-49) months. Ten percent of the patients experienced adverse drug reactions and 75% of the cases occurred during the first 6 months. After 24 months, the methimazole dose was lowered to 5 mg/day, and after this time point, no further adverse drug reactions were recorded. Skin reactions were the most prominent reaction, comprising 68% of the registered reactions, and no hepatic and bonemarrow affection was recorded. Conclusion: With this study, we report the frequency, timing of occurrence, and characteristics of adverse drug reactions when treating GH with the ATD drug methimazole for up to 48 months. Long-term low-dose methimazole treatment can be a cost-effective and straightforward treatment option if adverse drug reactions such as severe hepatic and bone marrow affection are kept in mind.
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