TSH Receptor Antibody Heterogeneity in Children and Adolescents With Graves' Disease

Completed

Conditions studied: Graves' Disease

In brief

Graves' disease, the most common form of hyperthyroidism in children, is caused by Thyrotropin (TSH) Receptor Antibodies (TRAbs) that mimic the action of TSH. The disease leads to significant morbidity in children both due to the prolonged course of antithyroid medication often required for sustained immunological remission and the high risk of relapse when medication is withdrawn. The ability to predict which patients are most likely to fail medical management would greatly improve the choice of therapy. In the past, large goiter size, age at diagnosis, increased biochemical severity, and decreased body mass index have all been associated with a poorer prognosis, but these clinical indicators lack sensitivity and specificity. Preliminary data suggest that the new TRAb assays are both sensitive and specific for the measurement of TRAbs in children with Graves' disease. In addition, variation in these antibodies over time is not the same in all patients. The goal of this proposal will be to prospectively follow children with newly diagnosed Graves' disease and use microarray technology to determine if there are genes whose expression differ in patients who respond to medical therapy versus those who will need more definitive therapy earlier in their disease.

Key facts

Study ID
NCT00335062
Run by
Boston Children's Hospital
People needed
19
Starts
2005-08-01
Expected to finish
2010-02-01
Last updated by the study team
2014-07-25

Who can join

Age: 2 and older, up to 21. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

You may not qualify if…

Where it is running

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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