How can graves disease kill you

Or, you might have a growth on your thyroid that's causing the excess hormone production. But many people with hyperthyroidism have an autoimmune disorder called Graves disease, which also makes their eyes bulge out.

During an exam, your doctor may notice that your thyroid is larger than normal, and that you have high blood pressure, tremors, or a fast heart rate. These can all be signs of hypothyroidism. You'll probably have a blood test to check the levels of your thyroid hormones. If you do have an overactive thyroid, you may need to take medicine to slow down the gland and its hormone production.

Or, your doctor may suggest having surgery to remove some or all of the thyroid, or taking radioactive iodine to destroy it. If you have surgery or radioactive iodine treatment, you'll probably need to take thyroid hormones for the rest of your life to replace the ones your body can no longer make. You can't prevent hyperthyroidism, but once you have it, it's usually pretty easy to treat. With the right treatment you can finally be free from its symptoms. While you're being treated, watch out for an emergency condition called thyroid crisis, or thyroid storm, which can set in if you've been under a lot of stress or have an infection.

If you have a fever, fast and unsteady heartbeat, or you feel less alert than usual, call your emergency services number or go to the ER right away. The health care provider will do a physical exam and may find that you have an increased heart rate. An exam of your neck may find that your thyroid gland is enlarged goiter.

Treatment is aimed at controlling your overactive thyroid. Medicines called beta-blockers are often used to treat symptoms of rapid heart rate, sweating, and anxiety until the hyperthyroidism is controlled.

If you have had radioactive iodine treatment or surgery, you will need to take replacement thyroid hormones for the rest of your life. This is because these treatments destroy or remove the gland. Some of the eye problems related to Graves disease often improve after treatment with medicines, radiation, or surgery to treat the overactive thyroid. Radioiodine therapy can sometimes make eye problems worse. Eye problems are worse in people who smoke, even after the hyperthyroidism is treated.

Sometimes, prednisone a steroid medication that suppresses the immune system is needed to reduce eye irritation and swelling. You may need to tape your eyes closed at night to prevent drying. Sunglasses and eye drops may reduce eye irritation. In rare cases, surgery or radiation therapy different from radioactive iodine may be needed to prevent further damage to the eye and loss of vision.

Graves disease often responds well to treatment. Thyroid surgery or radioactive iodine often will cause an underactive thyroid hypothyroidism. Without getting the correct dosage of thyroid hormone replacement, hypothyroidism can lead to:. Call your provider if you have symptoms of Graves disease. Also call if your eye problems or other symptoms get worse or do not improve with treatment.

Your heart is beating very fast or you have chest pain. You have a fever. You are confused or feel sleepy. You cannot breathe well or you feel very tired, which can be symptoms of heart failure. You should also call your doctor if: You develop symptoms of Graves' ophthalmopathy , such as bulging, reddened eyes. You feel very tired or weak. You are losing weight even though you are eating normally or more than usual. Your throat is swollen or you are having trouble swallowing.

Watchful waiting Watchful waiting is a period of time during which you and your doctor observe your symptoms without using medical treatment. Who to see Health professionals who are qualified to diagnose and treat hyperthyroidism include: Internists. Family medicine physicians. Nurse practitioners. Physician assistants. For further treatment, your primary doctor may refer you to one of the following specialists: Endocrinologist Surgeon Nuclear medicine specialist Ophthalmologist.

Exams and Tests Your doctor will ask questions about your medical history, do a physical exam, and order medical tests to diagnose hyperthyroidism. If your doctor thinks you may have hyperthyroidism, he or she may order: A thyroid-stimulating hormone TSH test , which is a blood test that measures your levels of TSH.

If your TSH level is low, your doctor will want to do more tests. Thyroid hormone tests , which are blood tests to measure your levels of two types of thyroid hormones, called T3 and T4. If your thyroid hormone levels are high, you have hyperthyroidism. After you are diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, your doctor may also want to do: An antithyroid antibody test to see if you have the kind of antibodies that attack thyroid tissue.

This test can help diagnose Graves' disease and autoimmune thyroiditis. A radioactive thyroid scan and radioactive iodine uptake tests , which use radiation and a special camera to find out the cause of your hyperthyroidism. Early detection Experts do not agree on whether adults who don't have symptoms should have a thyroid test.

Treatment Overview There are three treatments for hyperthyroidism. Initial treatment Initial treatment for hyperthyroidism usually is antithyroid medicine or radioactive iodine therapy. Antithyroid medicines work best if you have mild hyperthyroidism, if this is the first time you are being treated for Graves' disease, if you are younger than 50, or if your thyroid gland is only swollen a little bit small goiter.

Radioactive iodine is often recommended if you have Graves' disease and are older than 50, or if you have thyroid nodules toxic multinodular goiter that are releasing too much thyroid hormone. Radioactive iodine is not used if: You are pregnant or you want to become pregnant within 6 months of treatment. You are breastfeeding. You have thyroiditis or another kind of hyperthyroidism that is often temporary. Ongoing treatment During and after treatment for hyperthyroidism, you will have regular blood tests to check your levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone TSH.

If you have Graves' disease and have been taking antithyroid medicine but your hyperthyroidism has not improved, you can continue to take antithyroid medicine or you can try radioactive iodine therapy. If you have lots of side effects from antithyroid medicines and radioactive iodine is not an option for you, you may need surgery to remove all or part of your thyroid gland thyroidectomy.

Treatment if the condition gets worse If radioactive iodine or antithyroid medicines are not working well, you may need: Another treatment of radioactive iodine.

Surgery to remove all or part of your thyroid gland thyroidectomy. Prevention Hyperthyroidism caused by Graves' disease is a genetic disease that you cannot prevent. Home Treatment Be sure to see your doctor regularly so he or she can be sure that your hyperthyroidism treatment is working, that you are taking the right amount of medicine, and that you are not having any side effects.

If you are taking antithyroid medicine, take it at the same time every day. To help reduce the symptoms of hyperthyroidism, you can: Lower stress.

This helps relieve symptoms of anxiety and nervousness. Stress Management Avoid caffeine. Caffeine can make symptoms worse, such as fast heartbeat, nervousness, and difficulty concentrating. Quit smoking. If you have Graves' disease and you are a smoker, you are more likely to develop Graves' ophthalmopathy.

Quitting Smoking. Medications Antithyroid medicine is often used for hyperthyroidism, because it works more quickly than radioactive iodine therapy. You have to take the medicine for at least 1 year. Your symptoms may come back after you stop taking it. And then you have to start taking antithyroid medicine again or try a different treatment.

There are some rare side effects from the medicine, ranging from a rash to a low white blood cell count, which can make it hard for your body to fight infection. What to think about Antithyroid medicine may or may not make your hyperthyroidism symptoms go away. The medicine is much more effective in people who have mild disease.

Up to 30 out of people in the United States will have their hyperthyroidism go away go into remission after taking antithyroid medicine for 12 to 18 months. It is not used for thyroiditis. Antithyroid medicine is used instead of radioactive iodine if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to become pregnant.

Children are treated with antithyroid medicine, because experts do not know if radioactive iodine treatment is safe for children. Treating children with antithyroid medicine is challenging.

It is hard to know how much medicine they need when they are growing so quickly. Your doctor may prescribe low doses of thyroid hormone medicine to take with your antithyroid medicine so that your thyroid hormone levels do not get too low. Surgery Surgery for hyperthyroidism thyroidectomy removes part or all of the thyroid gland.

You may need surgery if: Your thyroid gland is so big that it is hard for you to swallow or breathe. You have thyroid cancer or your doctor suspects you have thyroid cancer. For more information, see the topic Thyroid Cancer.

You had serious side effects from taking antithyroid medicines. And radioactive iodine is not an option for you. You have a large goiter that radioactive iodine treatment did not shrink. You have a single, large thyroid nodule that is making too much thyroid hormone, and radioactive iodine did not effectively treat the nodule.

What to think about If you are having surgery, your doctor will have you take antithyroid medicines before surgery to bring your thyroid hormone levels as close to normal as possible. Other Treatment Radioactive iodine is considered by many doctors to be the best treatment for hyperthyroidism.

What to think about Most people are cured of hyperthyroidism after one dose of radioactive iodine. Clinical practice guidelines for hypothyroidism in adults: Cosponsored by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and the American Thyroid Association.

Endocrinology Practice , 18 6 : — LeFevre ML Screening for thyroid dysfunction: U. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Annals of Internal Medicine , published online Mar 24, DOI: Accessed April 10, Bahn RS, et al. Hyperthyroidism and other causes of thyrotoxicosis: Management guidelines of the American Thyroid Association and American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.

Thyroid , 21 6 : — Thyroid, 21 6 : — Hueston WJ In ET Bope et al. Philadelphia: Saunders. Mandel SJ, et al. In S Melmed et al. Nygaard B Hyperthyroidism primary. BMJ Clinical Evidence. Accessed April 14, Credits Current as of: March 31, Top of the page Next Section: Health Tools. Previous Section: When should you call your doctor? Top of the page Next Section: Treatment Overview.

Previous Section: References Top of the page. Current as of: March 31, Endocrinology Practice , 18 6 : Thyroid , 21 6 : Thyroid Gland Goiter Graves' ophthalmopathy. Another potential, but uncommon, sign of Graves' disease is thickening and reddening of the skin, typically on the shins.

It's unclear why some people develop Graves' disease. But being a woman in your reproductive years increases the risk. So does having a family history of the disease or having another autoimmune disorder — such as type 1 diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis. To diagnose Graves' disease, doctors commonly take a medical history, perform a physical exam, and order one or more lab tests.

These tests may include thyroid function tests, a radioactive iodine uptake test or an antibody test. The treatment goals for Graves' disease are to inhibit production of thyroid hormones and lessen the severity of symptoms.

There are several treatment options, including:. Anti-thyroid medications: These drugs, such as methimazole Tapazole , keep the thyroid from making too much thyroid hormone.

After one or two years of treatment, thyroid function may normalize in some people and result in a long-term remission of Graves' disease. However, it's common for the thyroid to become overactive once again after the drug is stopped. Therefore, these drugs may be used with, or followed by, another type of treatment.

Radioactive iodine therapy:This treatment uses radioactive iodine to destroy the thyroid's ability to make thyroid hormones. Almost everyone who receives this treatment, which is swallowed as a liquid, develops an underactive thyroid hypothyroidism which is treated by taking synthetic thyroid hormone for life to replace what the thyroid can no longer make on its own.