Graves’ illness 101

July is the month of the disease consciousness month.

Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disease that mainly affects its thyroid gland. Immediate diagnosis and treatment is important because the disease can lead to serious health problems such as heart failure and osteoporosis without treatment. This is particularly important to consider, since women and people who were assigned to women at birth have a higher risk of graves’ disease as well as heart failure and osteoporosis.

People with grave diseases can have a wide range of symptoms, but some of the best -known signs swollen in the neck around the thyroid area and the impact filled.

If you or someone you know or have the illness of Graves, you need to know this about this complex state of health.

What is Graves’ disease?

The disease of graves is a disease in which the immune system generates antibodies that are referred to as thyroid gland that stimulates immunoglobulin (TSI), which stimulate the thyroid gland and lead to making more thyroid hormones than they need. The excess thyroid hormones accelerate the metabolism and can cause serious physical and psychological health problems such as irregular heartbeat and fear.

In the United States, Graves’ disease is the most common cause of overactive thyroid gland, also called hyperthyroidism. In fact, about 4 out of 5 cases of hyperthyroidism are caused by the illness of Graves.

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What causes Graves’ disease?

The exact cause of the exact cause of the illness of Graves. However, the researchers believe that a combination of genetics and environmental factors such as a virus or stress can trigger the immune system in order to overtimulate the thyroid gland.

What are the risk factors for Graves’s disease?

Although the cause of the illness of Graves is unknown, there are risk factors that you can make more likely to develop the disease.

The risk factors for the disease of Graves include:

What are the symptoms of the Graves disease?

The symptoms of the disease of graves can vary from person to person and come and go over time.

The symptoms of Graves disease include:

Quick heartbeat
fatigue
Intolerance to heat
Increased sweating
Fast weight loss
Swollen thyroid (goiter)
Increased appetite
Menstrual cycle changes
Fear
Muscle weakness
Problems with sleeping
Shaky hands
Frequent intestinal movements

It is also common for people with graves’ illness to develop an associated eye disease. More than 1 out of 3 people develop the eye disease, which is referred to as thyroid eye disease (TED).

Symptoms of a thyroid eye eye disease can include:

Filled eyes
Granular, irritated or itchy eyes
Sensitivity to light
Reduced and/or double seeing

Is it certain to get pregnant when she suffers from a Graves disease?

It is possible that people with grave disease have healthy pregnancies as long as the condition is well controlled.

Too high thyroid hormone levels can cause complications for the person wearing the baby and the unborn child. Earlyborn, low birth weight, preeclampsia and miscarriages were associated with a high thyroid hormone content.

Pregnant women with burial diseases also have a higher risk of a severe increase in symptoms, which are called a thyroid storm, which is rare but can be life -threatening.

It is possible that a high level of TSI antibodies in the fetus can cause overactive thyroid gland – but it is rare. It is therefore important to test antibodies and thyroid hormone levels before they get pregnant. Talk to your health service provider about your current and earlier treatments for the disease of graves, since some medication can increase the risk of birth defects.

Treatment options for the illness of Graves

There is no healing for the illness of Graves, but there are treatment options that can help you manage the condition. Antithyroid medication, for example, prevents the gland from producing thyroid hormones to regulate the level.

Beta blockers, on the other hand, do not prevent the thyroid from producing hormones, but can be helpful to treat the symptoms of the disease of graves such as fast heartbeat, tremors and anxiety.

Radioactive iodine therapy – an oral drug that the thyroid cells that produce thyroid hormones gradually destroyed – but is not as often prescribed as an option, but not as often as antitheyreoid medication.

People with grave disease can also consider a thyroidectomy – surgery to remove the thyroid.

Clinical studies and grave diseases

Unfortunately, there has been little progress in the treatment options for the disease of Graves in the past 75 years, although many people cannot tolerate the side effects of their current treatment – and that the medication available for some people simply do not work.

The lack of innovation is why clinical studies are so important. Several potential new new treatments for the disease of graves are currently being examined, including oral small molecules, monoclonal antibodies and peptide immune modulation options that can block or reduce the antibodies that cause hyperthyroidism in the event of graves.

Nevertheless, there are many research results that must be carried out in relation to treatments and finding a healing remedy for the disease of graves. If you live with Graves’ illness, talk to your health service provider about clinical studies and whether accession to a clinical study is an option for you. For more information about the clinical studies of Active Graves diseases, see Clinicaltrials.gov.

Graves’ disease can have serious complications. Further research means further information to find a healing.

This educational resource was created with the support of immunovant, a healthy member of the management consultancy.

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