title: Identification of subsets of patients with Graves' disease by cluster analysis.
abstract: We have applied cluster analysis methods to forty-nine laboratory and clinical characteristics (including 26 HLA-A, B antigens) observed in 196 Graves' disease patients. Three subgroups could be identified: group I (seventy-nine patients) had small goitres, low indices of autoimmunity and a tendency to remission with medical treatment; group IIa (twenty-nine patients) had clinical and laboratory features of 'Hashitoxicosis'; Group IIb (eighty-four patients) had a high incidence of ophthalmopathy, familial aggregation, marked evidence of autoaggression and a tendency to relapsing hyperthyroidism. The prevalence of HLA-B8 was 8.9% in group I, 20.7% in group IIa and 86.9% in group IIb. This study demonstrates that Graves' disease can be subdivided using cluster analysis into clinically relevant subgroups which are further distinguished by their correlation with HLA-B8. Possible immunological bases for these observed patterns are discussed.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000145:classification* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D015234:HLA-A Antigens; D015235:HLA-B Antigens; D015795:HLA-B8 Antigen; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013029:Space-Time Clustering
chemical_list: D006680:HLA Antigens; D015234:HLA-A Antigens; D015235:HLA-B Antigens; D015795:HLA-B8 Antigen