How Does Graves Disease Affect The Body

How Does Graves Disease Affect The Body – Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the thyroid gland, causing it to produce more thyroid hormones than the body needs. Also known as diffuse exophthalmic or toxic goiter, Graves’ disease is named after Robert Graves, an Irish physician who first described the condition in 1835.

The immune system is designed to produce antibodies that protect us from foreign invaders such as bacteria and viruses. However, it can sometimes become overly active and produce antibodies that treat the body’s tissues as foreign substances. When this happens, various autoimmune conditions can occur.

How Does Graves Disease Affect The Body

Under normal circumstances, the thyroid hormone produced by the thyroid gland controls how the body uses energy and is important in keeping it healthy and functioning properly.

Va Disability Ratings For Graves’ Disease

However, when the immune system attacks the thyroid gland, an excess of thyroid hormone causes many systems in the body to overheat, creating a serious health risk.

According to the American Thyroid Association, an estimated 20 million Americans suffer from some form of thyroid disease, while Graves’ disease is known to affect about 1% of the US population.

Graves’ disease is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors and is most commonly found in women (although men can also be affected) between the ages of 30 and 50.

Interestingly, Graves’ disease is likely to affect people who already suffer from other autoimmune diseases. Conditions associated with Graves’ disease include:

Thyroid Symptoms: Signs It’s Overactive Or Underactive

The thyroid gland is a small butterfly-shaped organ located at the base of the neck. In particular, it is located above the clavicle (clavicle) and below the larynx.

As previously noted, the work of the thyroid gland is to produce thyroid hormones, which play an important role in the production of energy for the whole body and affect everything from metabolism to heart rate.

However, too much thyroid hormone production causes overactive thyroid gland or hyperthyroidism. And Graves’ disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. Left untreated, Graves’ disease can cause serious health problems, including:

The symptoms of Graves’ disease vary from patient to patient depending on many factors, including how long the disease has been present and how the individual responds to the disruption of thyroid function.

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To confirm a diagnosis of Graves’ disease, your doctor will perform a physical examination and discuss with you your family history and any symptoms you may have. Your supplier is likely to do a series of laboratory tests.

According to the American Thyroid Association, blood tests commonly used to confirm the diagnosis of Graves’ disease include:

Usually in hyperthyroid condition, T4 and T3 levels are high and TSH levels are low. If thyroid disease is detected, your doctor will look for antibodies that indicate the presence of Graves’ disease.

However, it can be difficult to diagnose Graves’ disease at an early stage because it is often confused with other conditions. For example, patients with symptoms such as gastrointestinal problems, palpitations, sexual problems and anxiety may consult a specialist before being referred to an endocrinologist.

When Your Thyroid Is Out Of Whack…

Treatment for Graves’ disease varies depending on the individual and the severity of the disease. Additional factors such as age and underlying disease conditions may also influence treatment options. However, the following are the most common forms of treatment used in Graves’ disease:

Although beta blockers do not directly treat Graves’ disease, they prevent the effects of excess thyroid hormone on the body. They can also help relieve symptoms such as tremors, palpitations and muscle weakness while waiting for other treatments to be effective.

Antithyroid drugs work by blocking the production of new thyroid hormones. These drugs are commonly used even in patients with a high probability of relief.

Although anti-thyroid drugs may not cure Graves’ hyperthyroidism, the American Thyroid Association reports that treatment with this method leads to relief in about 20% to 30% of cases.

Thyroid Disease, Diagnosis And Treatment

However, if thyroid disease persists for more than 6 months, your doctor may prescribe specific treatment with iodine radiation or surgery.

With iodine radiation therapy, you are given iodine-131 in tablets or liquid form. Because thyroid cells produce thyroid hormone by absorbing the iodine form present in the bloodstream, they easily absorb radioactive iodine, which then destroys the cell.

Although unlikely, it is possible that you may need more than one course of treatment, although there may be several weeks or months between treatments to allow the body to eliminate improper iodine radiation. Absorbed by thyroid cells.

Patients treated with iodine radiation almost always develop hypothyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid gland produces too little or no thyroid hormone at all.

Thyroid Eye Disease Surgery/ Graves Eye Disease Surgery

However, thyroid disease has fewer long-term health effects than hyperthyroidism and can be easily treated with daily thyroid replacement therapy.

If antithyroid and iodine radiation fail to reverse Graves’ disease, surgery is performed to remove some or all of the thyroid gland.

Antithyroid drugs will also be given before surgery to bring thyroid hormone levels back to normal, as general anesthesia can cause a thyroid storm, a serious condition that can be fatal.

Patients undergoing surgery for Graves’s disease will also develop hypothyroidism and will undergo thyroid hormone therapy with lifelong thyroid hormone monitoring.

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Some patients with Graves’ disease may also find that taking amino acid supplements improves the symptoms of hyperthyroidism. This is because amino acids are a group of proteins that are essential for the proper functioning of muscles, organs and tissues.

Amino acids can help you maintain muscle mass despite weight loss, a common symptom of Graves’ disease. They can also help restore muscle mass once Graves’ disease is cured.

The amino acid L-carnitine is especially known for its ability to help prevent or treat overactive thyroid symptoms, including insomnia, tremors and tremors.

In addition, studies have shown that L-carnitine supplementation can help prevent or even muscle weakness and can prevent thyroid death.

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Researchers at the University of Maryland Medical System suggest that L-carnitine may work by suppressing thyroid hormone. Because Graves’ disease is caused by overproduction of thyroid hormone, L-carnitine may be beneficial for people suffering from this condition.

However, people with thyroid disease or thyroid dysfunction should avoid L-carnitine because their thyroid hormone levels are too low and L-carnitine can lower them further.

It should also be noted that there are 20 different amino acids that make up the proteins our bodies need to function. And nine of these – essential amino acids – must be obtained through diet or supplementation.

Therefore, to optimize the treatment, anyone interested in adding L-carnitine should look for a formula that provides a balanced combination of all the essential amino acids.

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In addition to amino acids, other natural therapies, including diet, have been shown to improve thyroid function and treat the symptoms of Graves’ disease.

In fact, one study showed vitamin D deficiency in 64% of subjects suffering from Graves’ disease, while another showed that correcting vitamin D deficiency through supplementation could actually change the onset of the disease. By Graves!

Selenium is a mineral that helps the body produce special proteins called antioxidant enzymes. Although needed in small quantities – hence the term “trace” – selenium is essential for both healthy immune function and DNA and thyroid hormone synthesis.

Studies have shown that low levels of trace minerals are associated with an increased risk of Graves’ disease. In addition, recent meta-analyzes have shown that selenium supplementation is effective in restoring euthyroid status (normal thyroid function).

Thyroid Deficiency Causes: Genetics

Cruciferous vegetables, including cauliflower, cauliflower, cauliflower and cauliflower, are known as goitrogens, which are substances that interfere with the production of thyroid hormones by interfering with the absorption of iodine in the thyroid gland.

While eating a lot of cruciferous vegetables may not cure Graves’ disease, it will help prevent some of the excess thyroid hormones produced by the thyroid gland.

Various medications have also been shown to have a calming effect on the thyroid gland. The most famous of these include:

Bugleweed contains lithospermic acid and other organic acids that have been shown to lower levels of many hormones, especially TSH and T4. Bugleweed has also been shown to inhibit the binding of antibodies to thyroid cells.

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Although motherwort does not act directly on the thyroid gland, it is described as a natural beta-blocker. This is due to its ability to relieve some of the symptoms of Graves’ disease, including palpitations, anxiety and insomnia.

Finally, like bugleweed, crocodile balm effectively blocks TSH and helps prevent antibodies from attacking the thyroid gland.

As we have seen, many treatment options are available for those suffering from the effects of Graves ’disease. If you think you or someone you care about may have the condition, be sure to talk to your doctor about your symptoms and whether supplements in the form of amino acids, vitamins, minerals, foods and herbs can help you. Cured or not. On the road to health.

Autoimmune diseases are common in the United States. Autoimmune diseases do not refer to a specific disease but to a group of diseases

Current Concepts Regarding Graves’ Orbitopathy

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