The thyroid gland is a small butterfly-shaped gland in the neck that makes and secretes hormones. This hormone helps regulate many important body functions, such as metabolism and body temperature.
If the thyroid gland does not function properly, thyroid disorders such as Graves’ disease may occur.
“Women are more likely to have Graves’ disease than men, and it is seen at all ages,” said Malini Gupta, MD, ECNU, FACE, FITS, endocrinologist and G2Endo board member.
We asked Gupta what women need to know about Graves’ disease and treatment options for the condition.
What is Graves’ disease?
Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disease in which antibodies mistakenly attack the healthy thyroid gland. Inflammation and damage from antibodies can cause the body to make more thyroid gland than it needs, a condition called hyperthyroidism. Graves’ disease is the most common form of hyperthyroidism.
What are the symptoms of Graves’ disease?
Graves’ disease can cause a variety of symptoms that can affect quality of life, daily functioning, and mental health, including:
- Feeling anxious, anxious, or irritable
- I have a tremor in my hands
- Heat intolerance, excessive sweating or skin feeling moist and hot.
- Weight loss/loss of appetite
- changes in menstrual cycle
- changes in libido
- sleep disorder
- increased bowel movements
- fatigue
- fast or irregular heartbeat or irregular heartbeat
- thickening of the skin
- magnification of fingertips
- hair loss
- nail changes
- Increased wheezing or worsening asthma
- Hearing loss or ringing in the ears
- enlarged thyroid gland
About 4 in 10 people with Graves’ disease have a separate but closely related autoimmune disease called thyroid eye disease, which can cause bulging, watery eyes, and redness of the eyes.
How do I know if I have Graves’ disease?
Your health care provider can do a simple blood test to tell if you have hyperthyroidism. Nuclear medicine tests, called antibody tests and sometimes called thyroid absorbs and scans, will help your healthcare team determine whether you have Graves disease.
After you are diagnosed with Graves’ disease, your doctor may send you to an endocrinologist, who specializes in thyroid conditions, to monitor your thyroid levels and guide treatment.
What treatments are used for Graves’ disease?
Currently, there are three traditional treatment options for Graves’ disease: oral antithyroid drugs, radioactive iodine, and surgery. These options target the thyroid gland to stabilize hormone levels rather than addressing the underlying autoimmune cause of Graves’ disease.
Methimazole (MMI) and propylthiouracil (PTU) are two common oral antithyroid drugs that block the production of thyroid hormones in the thyroid gland.
Radioactive iodine (RAI) is another oral drug used to slowly destroy cells that make thyroid hormones. Sometimes thyroidectomy, or surgical removal of the thyroid gland, plays an important role in treatment. Both RAI and thyroidectomy result in lifelong hypothyroidism (too little thyroid hormone) and the need to take thyroid hormone medications for life.
There are also new drugs undergoing clinical trials that may address the root cause of Graves’ disease and provide new options for people struggling to maintain control.
Read: Analysis of Graves’ disease treatment options >>
How do I know if treatment for Graves’ disease is working?
You will often find that treatment for Graves’ disease is working when your thyroid levels and symptoms improve. However, many people have a recurrence after taking antithyroid drugs for a period of time or after stopping the drugs. If this happens, you may need a different antithyroid medication or other treatment.
What should I do if I am receiving treatment for Graves’ disease and still have symptoms?
If you still experience symptoms while receiving treatment for Graves’ disease, it is important to consult with your healthcare provider, as secondary treatment may be necessary even if your levels improve. This may mean giving you heart medication to slow your heart rate, an inhaler to help you breathe, or even acne medication.
Occasionally, taking too much antithyroid medication can cause iatrogenic hypothyroidism, which may result in symptoms and levels of low thyroid function, requiring adjustments in thyroid dosage.
Left untreated, Graves’ disease can lead to heart failure, loss of bone density and, in severe cases, thyroid storm, a surge of hormones that can be fatal.
This training material was created with support from Immunovant, a member of the HealthyWomen Corporate Advisory Board.
