Graves' disease (GD)

GD occurs when specific antibodies mistakenly bind to thyroid cells, overriding the normal regulation of the thyroid, causing the thyroid to produce and release excessive thyroid hormones (hyperthyroidism).

Weight loss, muscle weakness, hand tremors, rapid and irregular heartbeat, anxiety, decreased libido, heat sensitivity, diarrhea, goiter, weight loss, puffy eyes, trouble sleeping, irritability, and enlarged thyroid.  More rarely, eye and skin conditions occur. One-third of people with GD will develop eye inflammation, and about 5% of affected individuals will experience severe or permanent vision issues.

Hashimoto’s disease, subacute thyroiditis, silent thyroiditis, infectious thyroiditis, radiation-induced thyroiditis, postpartum thyroiditis.

Having another autoimmune disease can exacerbate one’s risk of developing GD. These include rheumatoid arthritis, pernicious anemia, lupus, Addison’s disease, celiac disease, vitiligo, and type 1 diabetes. Additionally, having a family history of GD is a known risk factor. Pregnancy, having recently given birth, and smoking cigarettes have been found to increase one’s risk.

• Graves Disease and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization (2023)
• Graves’ disease as a driver of depression: a mechanistic insight (2023)
• Genotype-phenotype correlations in Graves’ disease (2023)
• A cause-effect relationship between Graves’ disease and the gut microbiome contributes to the thyroid-gut axis: A bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study (2023)
• Relapsed and newly diagnosed Graves’ disease due to immunization against COVID-19: A case series and review of the literature (2022)
• Expansion of the immature B lymphocyte compartment in Graves’ disease (2023)