Abstract
Background and aims: The success of I-131 therapy in geriatric patients who were referred to an endocrinology clinic with toxic nodular goiter and who lived in iodine-deficiency regions was studied. Materials and methods: Patients older than 60 years who received I-131 therapy were included via retrospective data analyses. Fifty-nine patients between 60 and 82 years of age were enrolled in the study. The patients received an oral capsular form of I-131 (10–25 mCi) and were followed up for 1 year with clinical and laboratory results. Euthyroid or hypothyroid status at the end of the year after treatment was deemed to be a response to treatment. Results: Of the 21 (36%) male and 38 (64%) female patients, 29 (49%) had a solitary toxic nodule and 30 (51%) had toxic multinodular goiter. Twenty-nine (49%) of the patients received propylthiouracil therapy. At the end of the year, 38 (64%) patients were euthyroid, 11 (19%) were hypothyroid, and 10 (17%) were thyrotoxic. Forty-nine (83%) patients who were euthyroid and hypothyroid were considered responders. Conclusion: Geriatric patients with toxic nodular goiter were shown to have a high response rate to I-131 therapy. Thus, we suggest that radioactive iodine treatment should be the first-line treatment in these patients.
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Erkan, M.E., Demirin, H., Aşık, M. et al. Efficiency of radioactive I-131 therapy in geriatric patients with toxic nodular goiter. Aging Clin Exp Res 24, 714–717 (2012). https://doi.org/10.3275/8759
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3275/8759