Grave's Disease Research Paper

Week 3 – LOM Assignment The thyroid is responsible for taking iodine and converting it into thyroid hormones which are released into the blood stream and transported throughout the body where they control metabolism.1 The thyroid is a vital part of the human body as every cell in the body depends on it for metabolic regulation. Too much or too little thyroid hormone secretion can result in hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism. Hyperthyroidism is caused when the thyroid secretes too many thyroid hormones. Hyperthyroidism causes a rapid heart rate, elevated blood pressure and tremors. Other symptoms include increased nervousness, inability to concentrate, weakness, restlessness, difficulty sleeping, frequent bowel movements, weight loss and irregular

Graves ' disease is an immune system disorder that results in the overproduction of thyroid hormones (hyperthyroidism). The thyroid gland is an important organ of the endocrine system. The gland is located at the front of the neck above where the collarbones meet. This gland releases the hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), which control body metabolism. Controlling metabolism is important for regulating mood, weight, and mental and physical energy levels. When the body makes too much thyroid hormone, the condition is called hyperthyroidism. Graves disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism and is most common in women over age 20. But the disorder can occur at any age and can affect men as well. Some of the symptoms of Graves diseases are

You may not have known this before you got news of your condition, but Hashimoto’s disease is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the developed world, and it affects literally millions of patients. You are definitely not alone with this condition! “Hypothyroidism” is a medical term, and what it means is simply low thyroid

It is often the first resort for doctors when deciding how to treat their patient. First, a test is administered to determine the appropriate dosage for the individual. This is done by intaking a small quantity of the radioactive iodine, and seeing how the thyroid reacts to it. The more iodine the thyroid absorbs, the smaller the prescribed dosage will be. The drug is taken via pill, and is absorbed only by the thyroid cells; thus, no other cells will be affected by the drug’s radiation. Once ingested, the radiation immediately destroys almost all of the thyroid cells. This form of treatment may sound flawless, but it is not certain. There are numerous risks associated with radioactive iodine therapy. The most common would be hypothyroidism, which is the exact opposite of Grave’s disease. Instead of your thyroid overproducing hormones, the opposite occurs: not enough hormones are produced for the body to metabolize. This results in patients having to take thyroid replacement therapy for the rest of their lives (“Radioactive Iodine for Hyperthyroidism” par. 10). Expecting mother also cannot use RAI because the radiation can damage the fetus’ thyroid, which can have a negative effect on its growth and development. In addition to RAI being risky, it is also not the most efficacious treatment option. It can typically take half a year to successfully eliminate the defective

Experts aren’t sure the exact cause of Graves’ disease because it is an autoimmune disease. There are certain risk factors associated with Graves’ disease which include genetics, gender, age, pregnancy, mental stress, and smoking. People who have family history of this disease are more likely to develop it. Also females are more likely than males to acquire Graves’ disease and onset of the disease usually occurs after the age of 20. Anatomy affected by this disease is the thyroid gland which is part of the endocrine system. It is located at the back of the neck, below the Adam’s apple. This disease doesn’t destroy the thyroid gland, instead an antibody called thyrotropin receptor antibody makes the thyroid produce large amounts of hormone. The thyroid produces two hormones, thyroxine and triiodothyronine. These hormones affect many body systems and play a key role in regulating the body’s metabolic rate. Excessive secretion of these hormones is what causes the signs and symptoms that have already been described.

The thyroid gland is a two lobed gland that is situated in the neck region on either side of and anterior to the trachea, it also has the parathyroid glands located posteriorly on the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland secretes the Thyroxine (T4) and Triiodothyronine (T3) and Calcitonin. The thyroid gland plays a very important part in metabolism, growth and maturation of the human body, to put it simply it regulates the speed with which your body cells work. For the remaining of this paper the focus will be on what the deficiency of the thyroid hormones cause.

During my sophomore year of high school, I was diagnosed by a naturopathic doctor with Grave's Disease, which is a thyroid condition. I felt that it was the end of the world being diagnosed with a thyroid condition. Though I learned that I could manage and live with it, but the good news was I did not have to have my thyroid surgically removed. I was shocked by the blood draw results that I have Grave's Disease and I thought it was a mistake, but it was not a mistake. It was upsetting for me to take in and by having this disease; it also meant that I had to eliminate all gluten from my diet. I had to take six to nine natural thyroid supplement capsules during the day and at night. I also was diagnosed as dairy intolerant. There was a part

The first (1st) is by prescribing antithyroid medications which help the thyroid from producing too much of the thyroid hormone. The second (2nd) treatment that is recommended is radioactive iodine. This treatment is in pill form that damages the thyroid by giving it radiation. Even in this case, you will most likely end up having to take thyroid medications for the rest of your life. The third (3rd) and last treatment is surgery. This is when they completely remove all of your thyroid which cures the overactive thyroid but in addition from having it removed, you have to take a thyroid hormone to replace what has been removed. Aside from these treatment plans, your doctor may prescribe you a drug called beta-blocker which slows down your heart rate and reduces symptoms of shaking and nervousness. This drug works quickly and helps make you feel better while it takes

Graves’ Disease is identified as an autoimmune disorder that directly affects the thyroid gland. Characterized as the most common cause of hyperthyroidism, Graves’ Disease encompasses an overactive, enlarged thyroid gland, which produces an excess of thyroid hormones [1]. Approximately 3% of the United States population is affected by Graves’ Disease and 60-80% of patients affected with Graves’ disease are diagnosed with hyperthyroidism [2]. The approximate female to male ratio is 5/1, with majority of those cases being diagnosed in adults over the age of 20. The peak incidence of cases fall between 40-60 years old [3]. In addition, a higher incidence of Graves’ Disease appears in African Americans and persons of Asian descent as compared to Caucasians in the United States.

One way to know is to do a “thyroid function test which is a blood test send to a lab to see if your body has the right amount of thyroid stimulating hormone(TSH) and thyroid hormone (Thyroxine 4). An above normal level of thyroid stimulating hormone(TSH) is a sign of an underactive thyroid. When the thyroid begins to fail, the pituitary makes more thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) so as to trigger the thyroid to make more thyroid hormone. For a while, the thyroid can keep up, and the blood test will show slightly higher TSH levels with normal Thyroxine 4 levels. This is called subclinical hypothyroidism. But over time, the damaged thyroid cannot keep up, and Thyroxine 4 levels will drop below normal while thyroid stimulating hormone(TSH) levels are high. Another way to find out is to do an antibody test which is when a blood sample is sent to a lab to look for antibodies that suggest Hashimoto's disease. Most people with Hashimoto's disease will have specific antibodies that people with other causes of an underactive thyroid do not have. Some people have the antibodies seen with Hashimoto's disease but have normal thyroid function. Having only the antibodies does not cause any symptoms.” (Mayo Clinic staff, November 17,

Autoimmune thyroid diseases are common due to the difficiency of iodine in the diet of most of the patients.

radioactive iodine, which is a pill you take that uses radiation and destroys the thyroid. Cures the overactive thyroid. Then you take a pill to give you thyroid hormone that your body can no longer make.

Hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism are both disorders of the thyroid gland and both have to do with the secretion of triiodothyronine and thyroxine. The thyroid hormones are stimulated by the thyroid stimulating hormone, which come from the adenohypophysis, and controls the release of triiodothyronine and thyroxine. Hyperthyroidism, also known as Grave’s disease, means that there is means there is too much thyroid hormone in the system. Symptoms are weight loss, high basal metabolic rate, sweating, nervousness, and rapid heart rate. Hypothyroidism, also known as myxedema, is when there is not enough secretion of thyroid hormones. The symptoms are the exact opposite there is weight gain, lethargy, mental sluggishness, and reduced heart rate.

Hyperthyroidism (too much hormone) may result Grave's disease. Symptoms include anxiety, rapid heart rate, diarrhea and weight loss, nervousness, anxiety, and irritability.

Graves disease is the swelling of the neck and protrusion of the eyes resulting from an overactive thyroid gland. Women are five times more likely to suffer from Graves disease, the most common ages are between 20 and 40 ("Graves' disease." par. 1). It is common for people with Graves disease to get it after they have had an infection or they have been under a lot of physical or mental stress. Graves disease only affects around 0.5% of the population, but it is the underlying cause of hyperthyroidism about 80% of the time (Brent, Gregory A. par. 3). Hyperthyroidism is when your thyroid is overactive, this causes an increased heartbeat and metabolism. I found this topic to be interesting because I’ve never heard of this disease before. Its name caught my attention and when I started a brief search on the disease, I wanted to deeper explore the topic. Graves disease affects many people in many different ways, which can make it hard to diagnose. Many of the small symptoms add up to this dangerous disease