Aeromedical Decision Making for Military Aircrew with Graves' Disease

BACKGROUND: Graves' Disease (GD) is a common cause of hyperthyroidism. Although definitive treatment with radioactive iodine (RAI) is preferred for military aircrew, there are cultural and individual differences in receptivity toward RAI, and clinical guidelines that recommend antithyroid drugs (ATD) as the first line therapy. We examined a case series of Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) aviators with GD treated with ATD and the impact of their condition on aeromedical disposition.CASE SERIES: All RSAF aircrew diagnosed with GD and treated with ATD over a 15-yr period were retrospectively identified and analyzed to determine the impact on their fitness for flying duties. The mean age of the 13 aircrew was 33 ± 7.1 yr (range, 25-47 yr), with 11 (84.6%) being males. There were 10 (76.9%) who had ATD as the only treatment while 3 (23.1%) were initially treated with ATD but subsequently underwent RAI or surgery. Of the 10 treated with only ATD, 3 (30.0%) were returned to restricted flying, 6 (60.0%) were returned to unrestricted flying, and 1 (10.0%) is still undergoing ATD titration. There were 10 (76.9%) aircrew who were returned to some form of flying duties while on low doses of ATD.DISCUSSION: This case series suggests that ATD is a viable treatment modality in the aeromedical management of military aviators with GD and it is possible to return military aircrew on a stable maintenance dose of ATD to flying duties. A framework is proposed to support the aeromedical decision-making process for military aircrew in the treatment of GD.Loh EH-T, Soh FW, See B, Tan BBC.