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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Anna MitchellORCiD, Dr Bijayeswar Vaidya, Dr Petros PerrosORCiD
This is the authors' accepted manuscript of an article that has been published in its final definitive form by John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2017.
For re-use rights please refer to the publisher's terms and conditions.
© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Background: Clinically significant Graves' orbitopathy (GO) develops in about 25% of those with Graves' disease (GD); most cases of GD in the UK are managed by endocrinologists. Despite this, patients report significant delays before a diagnosis of GO is made. Measures to increase awareness of the early signs of GO and establishing a fast-track referral pathway to specialist care should overcome these delays and potentially improve outcomes. Aims: We aimed to determine whether issuing a "GO early warning card" to all GD patients raises awareness of GO and facilitates early diagnosis, what percentage of cards result in a telephone contact, the number of "false reports" from card carriers and patient perceptions of the cards. Methods: We designed cards, detailing common GO symptoms and a telephone number for patients developing symptoms. Cards were distributed to 160 GD patients, without known GO, attending four endocrine clinics in the UK (December 2015-March 2016). We recorded telephone contacts over twelve months from when the last card was distributed and gathered patient feedback. Results: The early warning cards were well received by patients in general. Over twelve months, ten telephone contacts from nine patients, all related to ocular symptoms, were received (6% of cards issued). Nine calls resulted in an additional clinic review (for eight patients), and four diagnoses of GO were made. Conclusions: This pilot study demonstrates that it is feasible to distribute GO early warning cards in clinic, and that they can be used to facilitate an early diagnosis of GO. Copyright
Author(s): Mitchell AL, Hickey J, Vaidya B, Mason R, Ajjan R, Zammitt N, Perros P, Dayan C, on behalf of TEAMeD
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Clinical Endocrinology
Year: 2017
Volume: 87
Issue: 6
Pages: 853-859
Print publication date: 01/12/2017
Online publication date: 29/07/2017
Acceptance date: 25/07/2017
Date deposited: 06/01/2019
ISSN (print): 0300-0664
ISSN (electronic): 1365-2265
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Ltd
URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/cen.13438
DOI: 10.1111/cen.13438
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