An unhealthy lifestyle is a common culprit for chronic diseases from heart disease to lung cancer, but Graves’ disease, on the other hand, is an autoimmune condition that evades such a straightforward explanation.
When it comes to what causes Graves’ disease, the root of the autoimmune disorder, is widely unknown. Andrew Gianoukakis, professor of medicine at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine and chief of the division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, says there is more to know about this complex disease.
So What Is Graves’ Disease?
Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disorder which was named after the Irish physician Robert Graves. According to Gianoukakis, the disease is a constellation of symptoms. He noted that the condition can cause hyperthyroidism and lead to other conditions like eye and skin disease.
Hyperthyroidism is a condition where the body produces too much thyroid hormone in adults. The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in the neck that typically secretes hormones that control your metabolism, body temperature, breathing, digestion, and fertility. If it becomes overactive, the body’s metabolism speeds up causing irregular heartbeat, rapid weight loss, and hand tremors.
Other symptoms of Graves’ disease include hair loss, diarrhea, bulging, or itchy eyes, erectile dysfunction, poor heat tolerance, irritability, muscle weakness, and breast enlargement in men. In women – who are five times more likely to develop the condition than their male counterparts – changes in the menstrual cycle may occur.
Some researchers believe that environmental contaminants are a precipitating factor for Graves’ disease and others point the finger at genetics. Hormone level changes in women and exposure to viral or bacterial infections are also viable external triggers that may have links to the onset of Graves’ disease, according to Yale Medicine.
Read More: Autoimmune Diseases Are on the Rise, Along With More Promising Preventative Measures
How to Treat Graves’ Disease
Many people wonder how long you can live with Graves’ disease but the good news is that it’s not fatal and it’s highly treatable. In fact, as long as the condition is adequately treated, the symptoms won't affect life expectancy at all.
The typical initial intervention for the disease is medication, specifically the anti-thyroid drugs methimazole and propylthiouracil, which were both approved more than 70 years ago. Patients typically begin to feel better after beginning prescribed medication but it is only after a year to 18 months that it becomes clear if the thyroid is no longer overactive.
An alternate way of treating Graves’ disease is to use radioactive iodine which destroys the thyroid altogether.
“Radioactive iodine is a radioactive compound,” Gianoukakis says. “Because the thyroid cells specifically take up iodine to make thyroid hormone, if you give patients radars of iodine, it gets sucked up by the thyroid, and the thyroid gets destroyed. So it's a crude method to treat the hyperthyroidism aspect of Graves’ disease.”
Following the more “crude” treatment of completely getting rid of the thyroid, patients are unable to produce vital thyroid hormone naturally and must take thyroid hormone by mouth that is synthetic or a bioequivalent animal-derived thyroid hormone preparation.
Read More: 5 Interesting Facts About Thyroid Disease and Treatment
Living with Graves’ Disease
Managing Graves' disease involves various lifestyle changes and considerations. Here are some key areas to focus on.
Diet and Mental Health
Diet does play a role in managing Graves’ disease and incidentally, it has been claimed that veganism can reverse Graves’ disease. However, more widely it is believed that the autoimmune disease cannot be reversed strictly from dietary changes. The Mediterranean diet–which focuses on plant-based and antioxidant-rich foods– is suggested for some patients with autoimmune disorders like Graves’ disease because it may be effective in reducing inflammation.
Depression and anxiety are a common symptom of Graves’ disease and eating without intentionality could exacerbate these mental ailments.
“If you’re already nervous and anxious and you add another compound that will make you nervous and anxious, like caffeine, that'll worsen the symptoms,” Gianoukakis says. “Because the thyroid uses iodine to make thyroid hormone, if you have more iodine, it's like throwing gas on a fire, right? Giving more iodine will make the hyperthyroidism worse.”
Physical Activity and Stress
A dysregulated nervous system will also make the symptoms of Graves’ disease worse, and reducing emotional stress is also key in managing the autoimmune disorder. Lifestyle changes like integrating yoga and daily walks into your routine are ideal ways to manage stress.
Interestingly enough, in non-symptomatic patients high levels of emotional stress can induce the disorder, per the Journal of the Endocrine Society. Ultimately stress management is key in managing the disorder but also factors into avoiding the condition altogether.
“One thing that we know is stress can bring out Graves’ disease in patients, and traditionally, during wartime in Europe the incidence of Graves’ disease would go up,” Gianoukakis says. “Stress on a personal, national, or geographic level can increase the incidence of Graves’ disease. So it's a combination of environmental factors and genetic factors without them having really been well worked out.”
Read More: Why Walking Might Be One of the Best Exercises For Health
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
National Library of Medicine. Graves Disease
Yale Medicine. Graves’ Disease
Thyroid. Environmental Exposures and Autoimmune Thyroid Disease
Current Genomics. The Genetic Basis of Graves' Disease
American Thyroid Association. Clinical Thyroidology for the Public
International Journal of Disease Reversal and Prevention. Reversal of Hyperthyroidism in Graves’ Disease with a Whole Foods Plant-Based Diet: A Case Report
European Thyroid Journal. The relationship between mental fatigue, depression, and cognition in Graves’ disease
Advances in Mind-Body Medicine. Healing of Graves' Disease Through Lifestyle Changes: A Case Report
Journal of the Endocrine Society. Stress-Induced Graves Disease: Spontaneous Recovery After Stress Relief
