GRAVES’ DISEASE

TYPES

• Graves’ Ophthalmopathy
• Graves’ Dermopathy

SYMPTOMS

One can experience various physical and mental symptoms once they have been affected with Graves’ Disease. These symptoms are listed below:

• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Tremors developing on the hands or fingers 
• Increased heat sensitivity that results in sweating more or having warm, moist skin
• Weight loss, even if eating habits are normal
• Goiter (thyroid gland enlargement)
• Menstrual cycle changes for women
• Erectile dysfunction or reduced libido for men
• Frequent bowel movements
• Graves’ ophthalmopathy (eyes bulging)
• Fatigue
• Graves’ dermopathy (reddening and thickening of the skin, usually around the shins or top of the feet)
• Palpitations (heartbeats being rapid and irregular)

Graves’ Ophthalmopathy 

Aside from being one of the symptoms of Graves’ Disease, Graves’ ophthalmopathy has its own set of symptoms, which are mostly affecting the eyes and skin of an individual. Below are the symptoms of Graves’ Ophthalmopathy:

• Exophthalmos (bulging of the eyes)
• Eyes have a gritty sensation
• Having pressure or pain in the eyes
• Eyelids being retracted or puffy
• Eyes being inflamed or reddened
• Increased sensitivity to light
• Having double vision
• Loss of vision

Graves’ Dermopathy – An Uncommon Symptom

As mentioned earlier, this symptom causes the skin of an affected individual to thicken and reddened as a result, which is usually found on the feet, notably on the top and the shins of the feet. However, this symptom is considered by many as an uncommon, and its manifestation in an affected individual is quite rare.

TREATMENT

There are many forms of treatment for this disease, ranging from simple medications, therapies, and surgeries. Listed below are the details for each treatment.

Anti-thyroid medications. Since the leading cause of this disease is the overproduction of thyroid hormones, these medications primarily interfere with the said overproduction to control the disease. The two commonly used drugs are propylthiouracil and methimazole (also called Tapazole). However, the latter is much preferred by most medical experts since the former has been known to be linked to the high risk of developing liver cancer.

These medications are usually long-term medications, mostly used before or after therapy sessions, depending on the advice of the doctor and as a supplement.

However, like any other medication, methimazole has its own set of side effects, which are listed below:

• Skin rashes
• Joint pain
• Liver failure (when usage is abused)
• A decrease in white-blood cells needed to fight diseases.

Additionally, the said medication is not prescribed to pregnant women to avoid the risk of having congenital disabilities in their child, wherein propylthiouracil will instead be prescribed for the first trimester only. Once the first trimester is over, the medication will be switched to methimazole.

Beta-Blockers. Another form of medication that can be used to treat Grave’s Disease, this instead blocks the effects of the hormones produced inside the body of an affected individual. However, this is not recommended to individuals who have asthma and diabetes, since it may trigger an asthma attack and might complicate diabetes management.

This kind of medication is usually used to provide rapid relief to the following:

• Irregular heartbeat
• Tremors
• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Heat intolerance
• Sweating
• Diarrhea
• Muscle weakness

Radioactive Iodine Therapy. This form of therapy is done via oral consumption of radioactive iodine (also called radioiodine), wherein it will target the overactive thyroid cells that are the leading cause of overproduction. Once targeted by the radioactivity of the radioiodine, the overactive cell will eventually be destroyed, wherein it results in the shrinking of the thyroid glands.

That shrinking will also result in the symptoms of the disease gradually lessening over time, which can take from a few weeks to several months. However, this form of treatment is not advisable for affected individuals who have Graves’ ophthalmopathy, since it may worsen its symptoms or have the risk of having new symptoms. This form of treatment is not given to both pregnant women and women who are breast-feeding.

Surgery.The last form of treatment for this disease is to remove the overproducing thyroid glands (which is called thyroidectomy or subtotal thyroidectomy), which can have complications to the affected individual’s vocal cords due to damage to the nerve controlling it. Fortunately, this kind of complexity is sporadic, especially with known and experienced experts in handling thyroid-related diseases.