Abstract
Despite the efficacy and safety, antithyroid drug (ATD) therapy for Graves’ disease
(GD) is associated with a high risk of relapse, especially within the first year.
The inability to predict whether and when relapse may occur is a major problem for
ATD therapy. This study was aimed to investigate potential predicative factors for
GD patients after ATD withdrawal. Consecutive patients newly diagnosed with GD and
treated with ATD [methimazole (MMI)] were enrolled in this study. Univariate and multivariate
Cox proportional hazard analyses were used for the analysis of predicative parameters
for GD relapse after MMI withdrawal. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and log-rank test
were utilized for presenting the risk of relapse. Of the 103 patients included, 67
(65.0%) remained in remission and 36 (35.0%) had a relapse within 1 year after the
MMI withdrawal. The multivariate analysis suggested significant predictive factors
for GD relapse: patients with higher miR-346 expressions (≥median value) at diagnosis
and at cessation, and lower TRAb levels at cessation. MiR-346 at diagnosis and cessation,
and TRAb at cessation could serve as predictive factors for GD relapse within 1 year
after drug withdrawal.
Key words
MiR-346 - TRAb - Graves’ disease - antithyroid drugs
