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Graves' disease epidemiology and demographics

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1];Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Seyedmahdi Pahlavani, M.D. [2]

Overview

Graves’ disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. It is estimated that it affects 20-50 cases per 100,000 persons yearly in the United States and it has a prevalence of about 0.4%.

Epidemiology and Demographics

Graves’ disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism.

Incidence

  • The annual incidence of Graves’ disease is about 20 to 50 cases per 100,000 persons.[1]
  • Long-term variations in iodine intake do not influence the risk of the disease, but rapid iodine repletion can transiently increase the incidence.
  • The annual incidence of Graves’ disease–associated ophthalmopathy is 16 cases per 100,000 women and 3 cases per 100,000 men.

Prevalence

The prevalence of Graves’ disease in the 1970s is estimated to be 0.4% in the United States.[2] The Whickham survey in the United Kingdom suggested a prevalence of 1.1% to 1.6% for thyrotoxicosis of all causes, of which Graves’ disease was presumably the most frequent.[3]

Demographics

Age

  • The incidence peaks between 30 and 50 years of age, but people can be affected at any age.

Race

  • Graves’ disease is more common in Caucasians than in Asians.[4]

Sex

  • Graves’ disease is more common among women than men. The lifetime risk is 3% for women and 0.5% for men.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Zimmermann MB, Boelaert K (2015). “Iodine deficiency and thyroid disorders”. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 3 (4): 286–95. doi:10.1016/S2213-8587(14)70225-6. PMID 25591468.
  2. ↑ Furszyfer J, Kurland LT, McConahey WM, Woolner LB, Elveback LR (1972). “Epidemiologic aspects of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Graves’ disease in Rochester, Minnesota (1935-1967), with special reference to temporal trends”. Metab. Clin. Exp. 21 (3): 197–204. PMID 5066850.
  3. ↑ Vanderpump MP, Tunbridge WM, French JM, Appleton D, Bates D, Clark F, Grimley Evans J, Hasan DM, Rodgers H, Tunbridge F (1995). “The incidence of thyroid disorders in the community: a twenty-year follow-up of the Whickham Survey”. Clin. Endocrinol. (Oxf). 43 (1): 55–68. PMID 7641412.
  4. ↑ Tellez M, Cooper J, Edmonds C (1992). “Graves’ ophthalmopathy in relation to cigarette smoking and ethnic origin”. Clin. Endocrinol. (Oxf). 36 (3): 291–4. PMID 1563082.
  5. ↑ Smith TJ, Hegedüs L (2016). “Graves’ Disease”. N. Engl. J. Med. 375 (16): 1552–1565. doi:10.1056/NEJMra1510030. PMID 27797318.

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