Thyroidectomy of grave desease with treatment and nutrition

GRAVES DESEASE

Introduction: Graves’ desease is a type of Hyperthyroidism which is usually caused by the widespread over activity of the total thyroid gland. The term has been named after Robert Graves, an Irish doctor who was the first to describe this kind of hyperthyroidism nearly one and a half centuries ago. This disorder is signified by goiter, exophthalmoses, orange peel skin and hyperthyroidism.

Types of Graves’ disease: The basic or preliminary types of the disease include: autoimmune disease, autoimmune thyroid desease, thyroid disorder and hyperthyroidism.

Causes: Generally it is believed to be caused by an antibody mediated auto-immune reaction but the major cause for such reaction is yet required to be known. It is considered as one of the most common causes of hyperthyroidism. It is triggered by some process in the body immune system which usually guards the body from the foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses. Immune system destroys foreign invaders with antibodies produced by blood cells called lymphocytes. Inherent immune system may also cause the disease as their lymphocytes make antibodies against their own tissues that stimulate or harm them. The antibodies in the Graves’ disease bind to the thyroid cell surface and stimulate them to over-produce thyroid hormones which ultimately end up in over-acting thyroid.

Diagnosis: A couple of signs are indicative for diagnosing the disease, like exophthalmia and non-pitting edema. Goiter caused by enlarged thyroid gland may be present with other type of hyperthyroidism; however the most common cause is Graves’ desease. The large goiter is distinctly visible but smaller goiter may not be clinically traceable, of course X-rays and ultrasound can help tracing it. The definite diagnosis demands biopsy.

Symptoms: Hyperthyroidism of Graves’ disease is mostly the same as those occurred by other types of thyroids. Eye disease: Graves’ is the only type of thyroids that has inflammation of the eyes, swelling of tissues around eyes and bulging of the eyes. Skin disease: In rare cases the patients having Graves’ desease are noticed to have developed lumpy reddish thickening of skin in front of the shins called pretibial myxedema. Other common symptoms may be numerous.

Treatment: It includes anti-thyroid medications like methimazole or propylthiouracil for diminishing the thyroid hormone production, radioactive iodine and thyroidectomy i.e. the surgically removal of the gland, which yet demands pre-operative treatment by typical medications.

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