RSS Feeds
Hyperthyroidism
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
TO THE EDITOR:
In their review, Klein and colleagues [1] state that radioiodine is the “preferred” treatment for Graves disease. Although this is the most frequently chosen form of therapy in the United States, antithyroid drug therapy is most often used in Europe and Japan [2]. Historical, social, and cultural factors underlie, in part, these geographic differences in choices of therapy. Arguments can be made for each form of therapy, but, given the differing practices around the world, radioactive iodine is “preferred” only because it is currently the therapy most widely used by U.S. physicians and not necessarily because it is the most desirable therapy for patient outcomes. In the study by Hashizume and colleagues [3], which dealt with only limited numbers, more than 95% of patients remained euthyroid 3 years after completion of therapy with methimazole plus thyroxine. As Klein and colleagues indicated, this striking result must be confirmed by others, preferably in different locations. Because Graves disease is common, studies must be done so physicians can choose therapy based not on popular preferences but on patient outcomes. Multicenter trials seem the most efficient way to establish “preferred” (that is, desirable) outcome-based therapies [4, 5].
Gordon N. Gill
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
- Copyright ©2004 by the American College of Physicians
