October - December 2008, Volume 4, Issue 4

Ursu HI, Purice M, Belgun M, Suciu I, Ioan D

Down syndrome and Turner syndrome associated with Graves' disease: two case reports and a review of the literature

Acta Endo (Buc) 2008, 4 (4): 471-476
doi: 10.4183/aeb.2008.471

About 15-20% of adults with Down?s syndrome have autoimmune hypothyroidism. Among patients with Down?s syndrome, prevalence of Graves disease (1-2%) may not be increased compared with the general population. About 15% of the patients with Turner?s syndrome have autoimmune hypothyroidism. Until 2006, only 15 cases of Graves disease have been reported among patients with Turner?s syndrome. We present two adult patients with chromosomial disorders (Down?s syndrome, Turner?s syndrome) with Graves? disease without clinical Graves ophthalmopathy. Clinical picture of thyrotoxicosis was oligosymptomatic in the patient with Down?s syndrome, probably because Down?s syndrome represents a syndrome of accelerated ageing. Both were pretreated with antithyroid drugs before radioiodine therapy. Both patients developed postradioiodine hypothyroidism: after 8 months in the case with Turner?s syndrome and after 11 years in the patient with Down?s syndrome. Adults with these two chromosomial disorders should be screened annually for autoimmune thyroid dysfunction.

Keywords: Down?s syndrome, Turner?s syndrome, Graves? disease, radioiodine therapy

Correspondence: H. Ursu, MD, Institute of Endocrinology, Section of Thyroid Diseases, 34-36 Bd Aviatorilor, Bucharest, 011863, Romania, e-mail: horeaursu@hotmail.com