Graves' Disease

• Graves' disease occurs when antibodies produced in your immune system attack the thyroid gland, triggering an overproduction of thyroxine, the hormone that controls your body's metabolism. Sir James Robert Graves, a 19th-century Irish physician, was the first to study, monitor and report this disease.
  
  

Cause

• Medical researchers have not isolated a cause for Graves' disease; however, factors like age, gender, environment, stress and family medical history are all considerations when your doctor makes a diagnosis.
  
  

Diagnosis

• A rapid or uneven heart rate, anxiety, insomnia, sudden and inexplicable weight loss, change in hair and skin texture, protruding eyes and double vision are just some of the symptoms of Graves' disease. A simple blood test will give a read-out of your thyroid levels. If these levels fall outside the normal range, your doctor will recommend you consult an endocrinologist.
  
  

Treatment for Graves' Disease

• With proper diagnosis and treatment, Graves' disease can be controlled. Medications, radioactive iodine therapy and surgery are the most common treatment options. Have an open discussion with your doctor about which treatment is best for you.
  
  

Warning

• If any symptoms of become acute, especially an irregular or racing heartbeat, do not wait for an appointment with your doctor--go to an emergency room immediately.
  
  

Famous People With Graves' Disease

• Former President George H.W. Bush and his wife Barbara were both diagnosed and treated for Graves' disease during their years in the White House. Because Graves' disease rarely occurs in men, his medical staff ordered extensive testing at the White House, Camp David and the Bush family compound in Maine in an attempt to find a possible environmental link. Nothing conclusive was ever discovered.