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Health Dictionary

Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.

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Graves' disease epidemiology and demographics

Introduction

Overview

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

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

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

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.

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