Effect of Therapy on Serum Thyroglobulin Levels in Patients with Graves’ Disease*

Abstract

Forty-one patients with hyperthyroidism secondary to Graves’ disease (n=34), toxic adenoma (n=5), or multinodular toxic goiter (n=2) were studied. The 34 patients with Graves 's disease were followed for an extended period of time before, during, and after various forms of therapy. All hyperthyroid patients had elevated serum thyroglobulin (HTg) levels before therapy, regardless of cause. Ten patients with euthyroid Graves' disease had normal serum HTg levels ranging from 2.7-13.5 ng/ml. Patients with hyperthyroidism due to Graves’ disease who underwent a subtotal thyroidectomy (n=8) had immediate postoperative increases in serum HTg levels, followed by a rapid fall towards the normal range. Patients who were treated with 131I (n=3) had a rise in serum HTg levels reaching a peak between 24 h to 30 days after radioisotope administration. All patients who underwent successful ablative herapy had significantly lower serum HTg levels after therapy. Of the 24 patients treated with long termantithyroid medicati...