Congenital graves disease. Four familial cases with long-term follow-up and perspective
D. R. Hollingsworth and C. C. Mabry
Congenital Graves disease has been described as a transient disorder in
which the mother has or has had hyperthyroidism. Experience with four
affected children to ages 5 to 9 years and a review of published cases led
us to conclude that long-acting thyroid stimulator (half-life, six days) is
not the cause of the disease. This disease occurs in infants from families
with a high incidence of Graves disease, and, in many, hyperthyroidism
persists for months or years. The pathogenesis of Graves disease is
unknown, and the simplistic maternal-to-fetal humoral theory is not a
suitable explanation for congenital Graves disease. If Graves disease is
considered in the larger perspective than the maternal-fetal unit, a
pattern of inheritance is apparent, ie, an autosomal-dominant trait with a
predilection for the female individual.
