Graves' disease is one of the most common autoimmune diseases, affecting 13 million people and targeting women seven times as often as men.

What is Graves' Diseases ?
Graves Disease: is an autoimmune disease characterized by hyperthyroidism due to circulating autoantibodies. Thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulins (TSIs) bind to and activate thyrotropin receptors, causing the thyroid gland to grow and the thyroid follicles to increase synthesis of thyroid hormone.

Symptoms of Graves Disease
No symptoms - it is possible to show no side effects of the disease
Increased energy expenditure
Weight loss
Increased appetite
Rapid heart rate
Palpitations
High blood pressure
Tremors
Nervousness
Sweating
Hyperactive
Breathlessness
Warm skin
Frequent bowel movements
Insomnia
Irritability
Heat sensitivity
Brittle hair
Thinning hair
Muscular weakness
Weak leg muscles
Lighter menstrual flow
High thyroid hormone level
Goiter
Lump on front of neck
Protruding eyes

Eye changes
* Eye inflammation
* Swelling around eyes
* Bulging eyes
* Blurred vision

Shin rash (pretibial myxedema) - thickened reddish skin on the shins
Swollen shins and knees
Hyperthyroidism
Goiter
Protruding eyes
Eye inflammation
Conjunctival edema
Paralysis of eye muscles
Double vision
Sensitivity to light
Redness over pretibial area
Itchy swelling over pretibial area
Hyperactivity
Tachycardia
Non-pitting edema of the lower extremities
Enlarged thyroid gland
Increased level of T3 hormone
Increased level of T4 hormone
Low levels of thyroid stimulating hormone
General - Fatigue, general weakness
Ophthalmopathy is a hallmark of Graves's disease
Warm, moist, fine skin; sweating; fine hair; onycholysis; vitiligo; alopecia; pretibial myxedema
Tremors, proximal muscle weakness, easy fatigabilitySkeletal - Back pain, loss of stamina, history of fractures
Palpitations, dyspnea on exertion, chest pain, edema
Dyspnea
Increased bowel motility, hyperdefecation with or without diarrhea
Tearing, gritty sensation in the eye, photophobia, eye pain, protruding eye, diplopia, visual loss
Polyuria, polydipsia
Easy bruising
Heat intolerance,weight loss despite increase or similar appetite, worsening diabetes control
Irregular menstrual periods, decreased menstrual volume, gynecomastia, impotence
Restlessness, anxiety, irritability, insomnia

Medical test
A medical test is any kind of medical procedure performed to aid in the detection or diagnosis of disease, or to guide its treatment.

* A screening test is a simple test used to detect the presence of disease in individuals in a defined population. An example is measuring the level of TSH in blood obtained from a newborn infant as part of newborn screening for congenital hypothyroidism.
* A diagnostic test disease is a procedure performed to confirm the presence of disease in an individual suspected of having the disease. An example is measuring the blood sugar in a person suspected of having diabetes mellitus because of increased urination.
* A test may be performed to monitor the progress of, or response to medical treatment, of a disease. An example is a measurement of forced expiratory volume to assess response to treatment of asthma.
* A test may aid in determining the likely future course (prognosis) of a disease. An example is a biopsy of a removed tumor to determine the degree of malignancy.
* A test may be performed to confirm that a person is free from disease. An example is a thyroid scan performed after surgery to remove thyroid cancer.

Treatment of Graves' Disease
The choice of treatment depends upon the age and overall condition of the patient, the size of thyroid gland, and patient preference.

Currently, there are at least three methods of treatment: drugs that inhibit production of thyroid hormone or provide symptomatic relief, the use of radioactive iodine to destroy part of the thyroid gland and thereby reduce hormone production, or surgical removal of part of the gland.


Drug therapy
Your doctor will prescribe either methimazole (Tapazole) or propylthiouracil (PTU) pills. These drugs act to prevent the thyroid from manufacturing the thyroid hormone.


The side effects of this medication may be drowsiness and minor lethargy; in rare cases, they can cause agranulocytosis, a blood disease. Most of the time, however, this form of therapy is safe and restores normal hormone balance within a couple of months.


Another medication, propranolol, is a beta-blocker that helps relieve the symptoms of Graves' disease including rapid heart rate, tremor, sweating and anxiety. Iodinated contrast agents can also provide effective treatment for hyperthyroidism of any cause.


Radioactive iodine therapy
This is an alternative if drug treatment fails. You are given a capsule or a drink of water containing radioactive iodine. After being swallowed, the "radioiodine" is rapidly absorbed by the overactive thyroid cells and are destroyed by the radiation, so less thyroid hormone is produced.


The radioactivity disappears from the body within days. You should not undergo radioactive iodine therapy if you are pregnant as the radiation can adversely affect a developing fetus.


Surgery
Thyroidectomy is surgical removal of all or part of the thyroid gland. If only a single lump or nodule within the thyroid is producing too much hormone, the surgeon can take out just that small part of the gland. If the entire gland is overactive, which is more often the case, a total thyroidectomy is needed.


Surgery is the preferred treatment for people with a large goiter who chronically relapse after drug therapy, if there is a risk of cancer, and for people who refuse or are not candidates for radioactive iodine therapy, such as pregnant women. Depending on how much of the gland is left after surgery, you may need subsequent thyroid replacement therapy.

 

  Graves' Diseases may cause
Thyroid

  usually safely take over-the-counter drugs

 


 Healthcare Provider

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