How Do You Get Graves Disease?

What Causes Graves' Disease?

Graves' disease is a form of high thyroid or hyperthyroidism in which the patient's immune system mistakenly attacks the thyroid gland. Normally, a gland would be destroyed when this happens, but in the case of Graves' disease, the thyroid responds my secreting high levels of a thyroid hormone called thyroxine. The patient experiences an increased metabolic rate, resulting in the symptoms of hyperthyroidism.

How do you get Graves' disease? Graves' disease is the most common form of high thyroid (also called overactive thyroid) problems. It may develop at any age regardless of gender, but it occurs more often in women after age 20. Women are seven times more likely to develop Graves' disease than men. Graves' disease is rarely life-threatening. What causes Graves' disease remains something of a mystery. But it appears most often in those who:

• have a family history
• are subject to unusual stress or anxiety.
• are pregnant
• smoke often

Treating Graves' disease A treatment called radioactive iodine treatment promotes the destruction of overactive thyroid cells, causing a reduction in the size of the thyroid. Treating Graves' disease this way causes thyroid activity to decline, so you'll probably need thyroxine treatment afterward to supply your body with normal amounts of thyroid hormones. Treatment doesn't require a hospital stay.

Treating Graves' disease with radioactive iodine may increase your risk of new or worsened symptoms of Graves' ophthalmopathy, a condition that causes protruding or "bulging" eyes. See our related article on Graves' opthalmopathy and bulging eyes.

Surgery In some cases, surgery to remove the thyroid gland is the best option. Post surgery thyroxine treatments will be necessary to replace the thyroid hormones that the body needs. Risks include possible damage to your vocal cords and your parathyroid glands (which help control calcium levels in your blood). Complications are rare when the surgery is done by an experienced surgeon.

Medication for Graves' disease Currently, it's impossible to stop the immune system from attacking the thyroid gland, but medications for Graves' disease can lower the production of thyroxine and thus ease symptoms. These medications include Beta blockers, which block some of the actions of the thyroid hormone. Medications for Graves' disease include

• atenolol (Tenormin),
• metoprolol (Lopressor),
• nadolol (Corgard), and
• propranolol (Inderal),

Prescription anti-thyroid medications include propylthiouracil and methimazole (also known as Tapazole). These prevent the production of excessive amounts of hormones. 

 

       

 

 

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