Is Graves disease the same as Basedow?

Basedow's disease occurs when the thyroid gland produces too much thyroid hormone, known as hyperthyroidism. This autoimmune disease is also called Graves' disease. The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland that sits in the front of your throat.

What is another name for Graves disease?

Graves' disease (German: Morbus Basedow), also known as toxic diffuse goiter, is an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid. It frequently results in and is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. It also often results in an enlarged thyroid.

Why is it called Basedow?

Basedow's disease was named after the German physician Karl Adolph von Basedow who published research on this disease in 1840. Since Japan draws from the German medical tradition, the disease is referred to as Basedow's disease in Japan.

What is Graves Basedow?

Graves-Basedow disease is a type of hyperthyroidism due to diffuse goiter. It is related to the presence of thyroid-stimulating antibodies. It is more common in young people and can lead to the appearance of bulging eyes (exophthalmos) and swelling of the front of the legs (myxedema).

Is Basedow disease autoimmune?

Basedow's disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis are autoimmune diseases of the thyroid gland. Basedow's disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism.

Understanding Hyperthyroidism and Graves Disease

Can Basedow be cured?

Base disease, if detected and treated early, can completely cure the disease. However, if the disease lasts for a long time, it can cause some very dangerous complications that can even shorten the life of the patient.

What is the root cause of Graves disease?

Graves' disease is caused by a malfunction in the body's disease-fighting immune system. It's unknown why this happens. The immune system normally produces antibodies designed to target a specific virus, bacterium or other foreign substance.

Is Graves disease a life long condition?

Management and Treatment

Graves' disease is a lifelong (chronic) condition. However, treatments can keep your thyroid hormone levels in check. Medical care may even make the disease temporarily go away (remission).

What test indicates Graves disease?

Radioactive iodine uptake.

The amount of radioactive iodine taken up by the thyroid gland helps determine if Graves' disease or another condition is the cause of the hyperthyroidism. This test may be combined with a radioactive iodine scan to show a visual image of the uptake pattern.

What deficiency causes Graves?

In addition, it has been shown that the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is common in patients with Graves' disease (GD),³ and is associated with higher thyroid volume.

Is Graves disease terminal?

Graves' disease is a thyroid condition that can be treated and managed successfully. However, Graves' disease is potentially fatal when left untreated or when it becomes extremely severe.

What type of thyroid makes you gain weight?

Weight gain may signal low levels of thyroid hormones, a condition called hypothyroidism. In contrast, if the thyroid produces more hormones than the body needs, you may lose weight unexpectedly. This is known as hyperthyroidism.

What are TSH levels in Graves disease?

Testing TSH Levels

If you have Graves' disease, your thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level will probably be very low because the pituitary gland will try to compensate for the excess T3 and T4 hormones in the blood. It'll stop producing TSH in an attempt to stop production of the thyroid hormones.

What autoimmune disease causes Graves disease?

Several autoimmune thyroid disease susceptibility genes are considered to be linked to Graves disease, including CD40, CTLA-4, the thyroglobulin gene (TG), the TSH-receptor gene (TSHR), PTPN22, FOXP3, CD25, and VDR.

Is Graves disease a form of lupus?

Because of overlapping clinical and laboratory criteria, Graves disease can mimic systemic lupus erythematosus. The differentiation requires careful laboratory evaluation. Moreover, both autoimmune diseases may occur in the same patient.

Does Graves disease shorten life expectancy?

Graves' disease itself is rarely life-threatening, but it can lead to serious heart problems, weak bones, breakdown of muscle, eye disease, and skin disease. These complications may decrease normal life expectancy.

What were your first symptoms of Graves disease?

Symptoms of Graves' disease may include bulging eyes, weight loss, and a fast metabolism. Hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease is treatable with medicine. But if left untreated, Graves' disease can cause osteoporosis, heart problems, and problems getting pregnant and during pregnancy.

What is the first line treatment for Graves disease?

In the United States, radioactive iodine is the treatment of choice for most patients with Graves' disease and toxic nodular goiter. It is inexpensive, highly effective, easy to administer, and safe.

What are the long term effects of Graves disease?

Graves' disease is rarely life-threatening. However, without treatment, it can lead to heart problems and weak and brittle bones. Graves' disease is known as an autoimmune disorder. That's because with the disease, your immune system attacks your thyroid — a small, butterfly-shaped gland at the base of your neck.

Does Graves disease get worse with age?

Many signs and symptoms showed little change with age until after the fifth decade of life when they began to decrease gradually. Findings that increased with age were weight loss and atrial fibrillation, while those that decreased most markedly with age were increased appetite and weight gain.

Who typically gets Graves disease?

Graves disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. It is due to an abnormal immune system response that causes the thyroid gland to produce too much thyroid hormone. Graves disease is most common in women over age 20. But the disorder can occur at any age and can affect men as well.

What is end stage Graves disease?

Heart disorders: If left untreated, Graves' disease can lead to heart rhythm disorders, changes in the structure and function of the heart muscles, and inability of the heart to pump enough blood to the body (congestive heart failure).

What foods trigger Graves disease?

How I reversed my Graves disease?

Unlike some other conditions, Graves' disease can't be reversed with dietary changes alone. It has to be treated with conventional medication. “Medical intervention is always the first step with Graves',” says Susan Spratt, MD, an endocrinologist with Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Can stress bring on Graves Disease?

Thyroid conditions such as Grave's disease (hyperthyroid) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (hypothyroid) are worsened by chronic stress so learning ways to lessen stress is your key to better health.