Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with thyroid orbitopathy in a tertiary hospital over 5 years

Objective

To describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of thyroid orbitopathy (TO) in a population in Spain.

Method

It is a retrospective observational study of patients with TO treated at a tertiary hospital center. We gathered demographic data, ophthalmological symptoms, laterality, symmetry, recurrences, activity according to the Clinical Activity Score scale, severity according to the European Group On Graves’ Orbitopathy (EUGOGO), thyroid function and antibody levels. Statistical significance was defined for P values <0.05.

Results

156 patients with TO were included. 128 (82.1%) women, the female/male sex ratio was 4.57:1. The cumulative incidence was 7.47 cases per 100,000 inhabitants/year. The mean age was 50.7 ± 13.2 years. 70 (44.9%) patients were smokers. 62 (39.7%) patients had a family history of thyroid dysfunction. Hyperthyroidism occurred in 90 (57.7%) patients, hypothyroidism in 34 (21.8%) patients, and euthyroidism in 32 (20.5%) patients. Thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin was elevated in 107 (68.5%) patients. The TO was bilateral in 149 (95.51%) and symmetrical in 99 (66%). Active TO occurred in 28 (17.9%) patients. 110 (70.5%) TO were mild, 41 (26.3%) moderate-severe and 5 (3.2%) very severe. Moderate-severe TO was higher in smokers compared to non-smokers (32.9% vs. 20.9%, p = 0.524).

Conclusions

TO in our population follows similar patterns to other countries: female sex, mild, bilateral and symmetrical. In smokers, TO may present more severely.