High-dose iodine 131 treatment of hyperthyroidism: experience at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre

ABSTRACT

We have treated 186 Saudi patients [110 females, 76 males] with hyperthyroidism in the last 10 years. Case records of 100 patients were randomly selected for review. The female male ratio was 1.41. The thyroid gland was diffusely enlarged in 46%, small, nodular, or gritty in 46%, and impalpable in 8%. Thyroid scanning revealed diffuse isotope uptake in 40% and patchy uptake in 60%. Ablative doses of 10 or 15 mC[i] of iodine 131 were given to 78 patients. The patients who become hypothyroid have been followed for a median of 18 months. Of these, 37% were hypothyroid at 3 months, 58% at 6 months, 36% at 9 months, and 68% at 12 months. The clinical presentation of hyperthyroidism appears to differ in Saudi Arabia compared with Western countries. The female male ratio is significantly lower [P< 0.001], and classical Graves' disease less frequent. In large countries where follow-up may be difficult, ablative radioiodine treatment and subsequent thyroxine replacement have advantages over other treatment