A comparative evaluation of the treatment of hyperthyroidism.

In order to evaluate the effect of treatment for hyperthyroidism based on a proposed criteria from our institution, the patients with the disease first seen at the Ito Hosiptal during 1965 were studied on the basis of clinical diagnosis and the follow-up study in 4-5 year period. Surgery was recommeded in the younger ages and radioiodotherapy in the higher ages for both sexes, though there was no inclination for antithyroid therapy in ages. Surgery exihibited the most reliable result among the three major therapies. Hypothyroidism was found more often in females than in males. Incidence of hypothyroidism with radioiodotherapy after the first four years of therapy was about 10% in females, and the result indicated the necessity of further improvement for administering 131I. In case of radioiodotherapy, it is difficult to predict the manifestation of hypothyroidism, because of no relationship between the incidence of hypothyroidism and radiation dose. The follow-up study showed the remission rates with surgery and radioiodotherapy were both 80-90 per cent, whereas the rate with antithyroid therapy was 38 per cent.