Incidence of juvenile thyrotoxicosis in Denmark, 1982–1988. A nationwide study

Abstract

Lavard L, Ranlov I, Perrild H, Andersen O, Jacobsen BB. Incidence of juvenile thyrotoxicosis in Denmark, 1982-1988. A nationwide study. Eur J Endocrinol 1994;130:565–8. ISSN 0804–4643 The objective of this study was to ascertain the annual incidence density of thyrotoxicosis in children under the age of 15 years in Denmark in 1982–1988. The design was based on computerized hospital registration of patient admittances in all departments of paediatrics and internal medicine of Denmark (Faroe Islands and Greenland excluded). Fifty-six children (48 girls and 8 boys) had a confirmed diagnosis of thyrotoxicosis, giving a national incidence density of 0.79/100 000 person-years. In children aged 0–4 years the incidence was very low (0.1/100 000), with no sex difference. In boys aged 5–9 years a similar low incidence was found, while in boys aged 10–14 years the incidence increased to 0.48/100 000. In girls aged 5–9 years the incidence increased to 0.96/100 000, reaching a maximum of 3.01 in the 10–14-year-old girls. In children of > 4 years of age a female preponderance of 6.7:1 was significant. It is concluded that thyrotoxicosis is a rare disorder in Danish children under the age of 15 years, and the incidence increases with age. Female preponderance is significant from early childhood. Lene Lavard, Department of Paediatrics, Hvidovre University Hospital, DK-2650 Hvidovre, Denmark