A 2011 Survey of Clinical Practice Patterns in the Management of Graves' Disease

TLDR: Current practices in the management of GD diverge in some areas from recently published guidelines; these differences should be assessed serially to determine the impact of the guidelines on future clinical practice.

Abstract: Context: More than two decades have passed since members from the American Thyroid Association (ATA), European Thyroid Association, and Japan Thyroid Association were surveyed on management practices for patients with hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease (GD). Objective: We sought to document current practices in the management of GD and compare these results both to those documented in earlier surveys and to practice recommendations made in the 2011 ATA/American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) hyperthyroidism practice guidelines. Lastly, we sought to examine differences in GD management among international members of U.S.-based endocrine societies. Methods: Members of The Endocrine Society (TES), ATA, and AACE were invited to participate in a web-based survey dealing with testing, treatment preference, and modulating factors in patients with GD. Results: A total of 730 respondents participated in the survey, 696 of whom completed all sections. Respondents included 641 TES members, 330 A...