1 Answers
The signs and symptoms of Graves' disease generally result from the direct and indirect effects of hyperthyroidism ; exceptions are caused by the autoimmune processes of Graves' disease, such as Graves' ophthalmopathy, goitre and pretibial myxedema. These clinical manifestations can involve virtually every system in the body. The mechanisms that mediate these effects are not well understood. The severity of the signs and symptoms of hyperthyroidism is related to the duration of the disease, the magnitude of the thyroid hormone excess, and the patient's age. Although the vast majority of patients enjoy significant improvement and remission after proper medical care, health care providers should be aware of variability in the individual response to hyperthyroidism and individual sensitivity to thyroid hormone fluctuations generally. Graves' disease patients can also undergo periods of hypothyroidism , due to the challenges of finding the right dosage of thyroid hormone suppression and/or supplementation. The body's need for thyroid hormone can also change over time, such as in the first months after radioactive iodine treatment. Thyroid autoimmune diseases can also be volatile: hyperthyroidism can interchange with hypothyroidism and euthyroidism.