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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Future Research in Graves' Orbitopathy: From Priority Setting to Trial Design Through Patient and Public Involvement

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Graves' orbitopathy (GO) is a disfiguring autoimmune condition, which can sometimes cause blindness (1). The disease has profound effects on quality of life (2), psychological health (3), and socioeconomic status (4). Progress in understanding and treating this disease has been slow. However, recent advances include delineation of plausible immunological mechanisms (5), development of an animal model (6), and publication of randomized studies defining the role and limitations of intravenous steroids (7), rituximab (8,9), and selenium (10). Yet, some of this knowledge remains to be translated into improvement in clinical care. Access of patients to specialist treatments is patchy and seems to depend on chance rather than clinical need (11). In 2009, 84 international, national, scientific, and patient-led organizations signed the Amsterdam Declaration for people with Thyroid Eye Disease (12). Signatories pledged to “improve the existing research networks and develop further international collaborative research.”