Thursday, May 12, 2011

Graves' Disease Recovery

When the immune system attacks the thyroid gland, causing an overproduction of the hormone thyroxine, it can be a condition known as Graves' disease. Graves' disease is a form of hyperthyroidism. This increase of the hormone thyroxine can result in an elevated metabolic rate, which can cause medical problems for the sufferer. Graves' disease typically occurs more in women than men.


Thyroxine


Recovering from Graves' disease begins with treatment to control the symptoms. The treatments are intended to block the actions or decrease the production of thyroxine.


Medication


Treatments for the recovery of Graves' disease include prescription medication, including include beta-blockers and anti-thyroid pills.


Radioactive Iodine


Radioactive iodine treatment can be used. Yet, this treatment can increase the chances of new symptoms.


Surgery








Surgery to remove the thyroid is one treatment choice for Graves' disease. Yet there can be rare recovery risks with this procedure, such as damage to the vocal cords or parathyroid glands.


Eyes








Graves' disease can negatively affect the eyes. Treatment for recovery from these symptoms includes orbital decompression surgery, corticosteroids medication, eye muscle surgery and prisms inserted in glasses to correct double vision.

Tags: Graves disease, hormone thyroxine