[Hyperthyroidism in older patients]

This study comprises 81 thyrotoxic patients with onset after the age of 60. In elderly persons, toxic multinodular goiter is the most common cause (68%) of hyperthyroidism, followed by solitary thyroid nodules (16%) and Graves' disease (16%). Cardiovascular disorders (cardiac failure, arrythmias etc.) constitute the first and often the only symptom in 62% of the cases. The other forms of appearance are both various and deceptive: depression, slight fever, asthenia or nausea. Separate analysis of the three forms of hyperthyroidism did not reveal clinical, biological or therapeutic differences between them, except an inferior rate of captation for the toxic nodules. Isolated measurement of T3 or T4 is often insufficient to confirm the diagnosis because either of these hormones may appear at a normal rate. In three cases only the free thyroxin index was pathological on first determination. The authors have established that the autonomous nodules are larger and more active after, rather than before, 60 years of age, and have attempted to define their morphological identity. The results of the treatment are analyzed and preference is expressed for radioactive iodine in every form of hyperthyroidism.