When you think of an autoimmune disease, you may think of something more common; such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes, or much more. Graves’ disease though; is an immune system disorder that results in the overproduction of thyroid hormones, also known as hyperthyroidism. (“mayo clinic”) Several other disorders may result in hyperthyroidism, but this is a very common cause. Graves disease can affect anyone, but is more common in women that are over the age of 40. Thyroid hormones can affect a number of different body symptoms, therefore symptoms and signs of Graves’ disease can range from a variety of different things and can influence your overall health. It is the leading cause of hyperthyroidism. When should you worry …show more content…
The point of treatment is to inhibit the production of thyroid hormones, and to block the effects of these hormones on the body. The first treatment is Radioactive iodine treatment, which is where you take radioiodine orally, this then goes to the thyroid cells, and the radioactivity destroys the overactive thyroid cells. This treatment can take time, and causes your thyroid gland to shrink, and eventually symptoms will start to decrease. The downside to this treatment is that it can increase your chances of getting Graves’ ophthalmopathy, so this is not recommended if you already have eye problems. The next treatment recommended is Anti-thyroid medications. These are intended to interfere with use of the iodine in the thyroid to produce hormones. Certain medications that are used are prescription; such as propylthiouracil, and methimazole. Although is these two drugs are used alone, a relapse of hyperthyroidism can occur later on. These can be used before or after radioiodine therapy as a supplemental treatment. Beta blockers block the effect of hormones on the body. Can provide rapid relief of a lot of the symptoms, but can also complicate a lot of things, especially in people with diabetes. Some of these include Propranolol, atenolol, metoprolol, and nadolol. The last but definitely not least treatment for Graves’ disease is surgery. During surgery, they can remove all, or part of the thyroid gland. Afterwards, you may need