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Could increased thiamazole sales among children in Belgium during the pandemic indicate a surge in Graves’ disease cases?

par Ulgiati, Fiorenza ;Vicinanza, Alfredo;Heinrichs, Claudine ;Noha, Diouri;Tenoutasse, Sylvie ;Brachet, Cécile ;Boros, EMESE
Référence Journal of endocrinological investigation
Publication Publié, 2025

Article révisé par les pairs

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Résumé :

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the thiamazole sales in the paediatric population in Belgium from 2016 to 2023 in Belgium using the data f provided by The National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (NIHDI). It also assessed during the same period the number of pediatric patients diagnosed with pediatric AITD in a single-center setting. Materials and methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from the NIHDI national database, collecting the daily defined dose (DDD) and the number of pediatric patients treated with thiamazole. Additionally, a single-center study was conducted including children newly diagnosed HT or GD between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2023. Patients were categorized into three groups: pre-pandemic (2016–2019), pandemic (2020–2022), and post-pandemic (2023). Results: An increase in thiamazole prescriptions was observed, peaking in 2022 (88,500 DDD/year for Group 2 vs. 77,295 DDD/year for Group 1, p = 0.001). At our center, among the 43 newly diagnosed patients with GD, a significant rise in GD diagnoses was noted during the pandemic (10 cases/year) compared to the pre- and post-pandemic periods (3 cases/year, p = 0.037). In contrast, the number of HT cases remained stable across all three periods, with a total of 141 patients. No significant differences in disease severity were found between patients diagnosed before or during the pandemic. Conclusion: Pediatric thiamazole prescriptions at the national level and GD diagnoses at the local level increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, while HT incidence remained unchanged. Although a direct causal link with SARS-CoV-2 cannot be confirmed, these findings suggest that the pandemic may have influenced GD incidence, warranting further investigation. Disease severity did not differ between patients diagnosed before and during the pandemic.