Hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease in aged patients.

Hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease is more prominent in older patients than was originally thought. Aged patients with this disorder have characteristic clinical and hormonal features that are different from those in younger patients. Thus, Graves' disease in aged patients is not merely a milder form of the disease seen in youth, but is qualitatively different in many aspects. Owing in part to incomplete understanding of the etiology of Graves' disease, the pathophysiologic reasons for these differences are unknown.