Physical Symptoms
Graves is scary and it's easy to start thinking about a lot of stuff that may or may not happen. Please keep in mind that not every person will experience the same symptoms nor will they have the same severity of symptoms. It's unusual for a person to continue developing symptoms after diagnosed and under a doctor's care. The information provided helps to understand the symptoms but it does not mean that you will ever experience any of the symptoms.
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Thyrotoxic Myopathy - Joint & Muscle Pain
Thyrotoxic myopathy (TM) is a neuromuscular disorder that develops due to the overproduction of the thyroid hormone thyroxine. Also known as hyperthyroid myopathy, TM is one of many myopathies that lead to muscle weakness and muscle tissue breakdown. Evidence indicates the onset may be caused by hyperthyroidism. There are two known causes of hyperthyroidism that lead to development thyrotoxic myopathy including a multinodular goiter and Graves disease.
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What causes Graves' dermopathy? How is it treated?
"Rarely, people with Graves' disease develop Graves' dermopathy, a skin condition characterized by red, swollen skin, usually on the shins and tops of the feet. The texture of the affected skin may be similar to that of an orange peel. This condition results from a buildup of certain carbohydrates in the skin - the cause of which isn't known. Doctors may also refer to it as pretibial myxedema."
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Thyroid Disease: A Checklist of Skin, Hair and Nail Changes
Although your thyroid gland sits deep in your neck, your dermatologist may be the first doctor to notice signs of thyroid disease. That’s because many signs and symptoms of thyroid disease develop on the skin, hair, and nails.
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Hair loss and thyroid disorders
Severe and prolonged hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can cause loss of hair. The loss is diffuse and involves the entire scalp rather than discrete areas. The hair appears uniformly sparse. Regrowth is usual with successful treatment of the thyroid disorder, though it will take several months and may be incomplete. It is unusual for mild (e.g. subclinical) hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, or short-lived thyroid problems to cause hair loss.
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Onycholysis an early indicator of thyroid disease
Ugly nails can be a source of stress for some people especially women despite them not giving any clinical symptomatic problems apart from being 'ugly' cosmetically. Onycholysis is a dermatological nail disorder which runs a chronic course. It is characterized by spontaneous distal separation of the nail plate from the free margin and progressively proximally. Onycholysis is also referred to Plummer's Nails when it occurs in setting of hyperthyroidism.
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