Graves' Disease
Below you will find links to the definition of Graves' disease, helpful information and a must read letter to help friends and family understand Graves' and thyroid anatomy.
The American Thyroid Association (ATA) provides a great search tool to find local Endocrinologist in your area.
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How to take the Thyroid Neck Check
All you need is: (A) Glass of water. (B) Handheld mirror. Early diagnosis is the key to managing and treating thyroid conditions!!
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American Thyroid Association and Graves Disease
In Graves' disease, antibodies bind to the surface of thyroid cells and stimulate those cells to overproduce thyroid hormones. This results in an overactive thyroid. These same antibodies may also be involved in the eye changes seen in Graves' ophthalmopathy (a/k/a Thyroid Eye Disease), since the receptors on the thyroid may also be found on the surface of cells behind the eye. Physicians have long suspected that severe emotional stress, such as the death of a loved one, can set off Graves disease in some patients. Dr. Graves himself commented on stressful events in his patients lives that came several months before the development of hyperthyroidism. However, most patients who develop Graves disease report no particular recent stress in their lives.
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Wikipedia - Symptoms and signs of Graves' disease
A detailed list of the symptoms and signs of Graves' disease.
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Hyperthyroidism - UK Patient Information
Very easy to read detailed information relating to all aspects of Graves Disease. "HISTORY: Robert James Graves (1796-1853) was an outstanding Irish physician and teacher. He was a prolific medical author and his paper 'Newly observed affection of the thyroid gland in females' was published in the London Medical and Surgical Journal in 1853."
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What is Hyperthyroidism
American Association of Endocrinologist (AACE) Hyperthyroidism develops when the body is exposed to excessive amounts of thyroid hormone. This disorder occurs in almost 1% of all Americans and affects women 5 to 10 times more often than men. In its mildest form, hyperthyroidism may not cause recognizable symptoms. More often, however, the symptoms are discomforting, disabling, or even life-threatening.
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Understanding Autoimmune Diseases
When an intruder invades your body -- like a cold virus or bacteria on a thorn that pricks your skin -- your immune system protects you. It tries to identify, kill, and eliminate the invaders that might hurt you. But sometimes problems with your immune system cause it to mistake your body's own healthy cells as invaders and then repeatedly attack them. This is called an autoimmune disease.
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Understanding Graves Disease - The Doctors Show
Graves Disease AND Thyroid Eye Disease surgery. 5 min. video from the Doctors Tv Show explaining Graves Disease and surgery to repair bulging eyes.
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Thyroid cancer risks and causes
How common thyroid cancer is? Thyroid cancer is quite a rare cancer. Around 2,700 people are diagnosed in the UK each year. Less than 1 in every 100 cancers diagnosed in the UK is a thyroid cancer. It is 2 to 3 times more common in women than in men. --- There are different types of thyroid cancer. Papillary thyroid cancer is the most common, followed by follicular thyroid cancer. Medullary tumors and anaplastic tumors are much rarer. --- The risk of thyroid cancer seems to be higher in South Asian women. But that is possibly explained by the risk factors related to reproduction below. --- Remember that having a lump in your thyroid does not necessarily mean cancer. Only about 1 in 20 thyroid lumps are cancer.
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