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Graves' Disease |
What
is Graves’ disease? Graves’ disease, a type of hyperthyroidism, is caused by a generalized overactivity of the entire thyroid gland. It is named for Robert Graves, an Irish physician, who was the first to describe this form of hyperthyroidism about 150 years ago. |
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SYMPTOMS |
What are the symptoms of Graves’ disease?
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CAUSES |
What
causes Graves’ disease? |
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DIAGNOSIS |
How is the diagnosis
of Graves’ disease made? Clues that your hyperthyroidism is caused by Graves’ disease are the presence of Graves’ eye disease (see above), an enlarged thyroid, and a history of other family members with thyroid problems. Some relatives may have had hyperthyroidism or an underactive thyroid; others may have acquired gray hair prematurely (beginning in their 20’s). Similarly, there may be a history of related immune problems in the family, including juvenile diabetes, pernicious anemia (due to lack of vitamin B12), or painless white patches on the skin known as vitiligo |
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TREATMENT |
How
is Graves’ disease treated? What will be the outcome of treatment? Because of this natural tendency to progress toward hypothyroidism sometime after you have been hyperthyroid, every patient who has ever had hyperthyroidism due to Graves’ disease should have blood tests at least once a year to measure thyroid function. Low thyroid hormone levels cause your pituitary gland to produce increased amounts of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). A high TSH blood level is the most sensitive indicator of hypothyroidism, and so your annual thyroid evaluation should always include a TSH test. When hypothyroidism occurs, a thyroid hormone tablet taken once a day can treat it simply and safely (see the Hypothyroidism brochure). Other family members at risk
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Graves' Disease Brochure for Saving and Printing (PDF File, 161KB) |
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© 2005 American Thyroid Association. All rights reserved.
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