Hereditary aspects of Graves' disease in infancy and childhood

Abstract

Seven newborn infants and young children with Graves' disese are described. The infants' hyperthyroidism was not transient, and the mother of one did not have Graves' disease. Two mothers of young children developed Graves' disease subsequent to the onset of the disorder in their young daughters; two mothers of young children, one deceased, never developed Graves' disease. There was a continuity of the disorder between mother and child not dependent on the in utero relationship. Persistence of the abnormal physiologic state in affected newborn infants was frequent. In the six kindreds there were many patients with both quiescent or active Graves' disease; the age of onset varied from birth to age 60. In addition, some individuals had other thyroid disorders. In all the kindreds, there seemed to be a mother-to-daughter link over several generations. The biologic unity observed is best explained as a fundamental disorder which is incompletely and variably expressed. The probable mode of inheritance is autosomal dominant with a predilection for the female.