http://www.eje.org/content/158/1/69.full
Quote:
Conclusion
We describe in detail the course of TSH-receptor autoimmunity after the three common types of therapy for Graves’ hyperthyroidism. Medical therapy and subtotal thyroidectomy were followed by a gradual and parallel remission of TSH-receptor autoimmunity, with the disappearance of TRAb from serum in 70–80% of the patients after 18 months. After stopping therapy, around 40% of medically treated patients experienced a reactivation of TSH-receptor autoimmunity and became hyperthyroid again. Radioiodine therapy led to a year-long worsening of autoimmunity against the TSH receptor, and the number of patients entering remission of TSH-receptor autoimmunity with disappearance of TRAb from serum during the following years was considerably lower than with the other types of therapy.
There are a couple of interesting points, worth a read through, the one that caught my eye was potential issues with pregnancy:
Quote:
Radioiodine is often recommended to young women to overcome any future problems with Graves’ disease during pregnancy. However, even if the woman is made hypothyroid by radioiodine and subsequently euthyroid by l-T4 administration, TRAb may remain high for years. Thus, there is a need to measure TRAb in early pregnancy in such women (21) and to follow the fetus carefully for hyperthyroidism, if TRAb is still present.
