A Pediatric Case of Graves' Hyperthyroidism with Associated Glucose Intolerance Detected by a Urine Glucose Screening Program at School.

ABSTRACT

We report here a 13-year-old female with Graves' disease, whose diagnostic clue was glycosuria, which was detected by a urine glucose screening program at school. She had had mild general malaise, and a physical examination revealed a slightly enlarged thyroid gland. Hyperthyroidism (thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) < 0.01 µU/ml, free triiodothyronine (fT3) 23.57 pg/ml, free thyroxine (fT4) 3.38 ng/dl) and anti-thyroid autoantibodies (TRAb 43.6%) were detected in laboratory tests, and her plasma glucose at 120 minutes was 142 mg/dl in a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test. She was diagnosed as having borderline diabetes. These findings revealed a diagnosis of Graves' hyperthyroidism with associated impaired glucose tolerance. Although it is reported that many adults with hyperthyroidism develop disorders of glucose metabolism, pediatric patients rarely have complications of glucose intolerance or diabetes mellitus, and there are no previous reports of Graves' disease diagnosed by a urine glucose screening program at school. This case suggests a possibility of abnormalities in glucose metabolism even in pediatric cases of Graves' disease. To avoid overlooking the diagnosis of glucose intolerance associated with hyperthyroidism, a careful medical interview and examination should be performed even if the clinical features are mild.