Graves' thyroid ophthalmopathy in Ethiopian patients

In a prospective study, we evaluated the clinical manifestations, severity, complication and management of Graves' thyroid ophthalmopathy (GTO) in 37 Ethiopian patients. Twenty-seven were females and 10 were males (F:M = 2.7:1). The mean age was 35 years (range 19-70 yrs). The mean duration of ocular symptoms was 33.4 months (range 2-120 months) while the mean duration of hyperthyroid symptoms was 36.2 months (range 6-120 months). GTO was found in 30 (81.1%) hyperthyroid, 1 (2.7%) hypothyroid and 5 (13.5%) euthyroid patients. Upper lid retraction was the most common clinical finding, being detected in 31 (83.8%) of the patients. One (2.7%) patient had marked extraocular muscle involvement, involving the inferior rectus muscle of one eye. Though 18 (48.6) patients had signs of soft tissue inflammation, only 4 (10.8%) required the administration of systemic steroids to control the inflammatory process. None of our patients had sight loss from the complications of GTO. Larger prospective studies are suggested to evaluate both the prevalence and possible racial difference in its clinical presentation.