Graves' Disease | oneGRAVESvoice
Global Search
Global Search

Trusted Resources: Evidence & Education

Scientific literature and patient education texts

Back to Evidence & Education / Patient Education

Graves’ Disease

key information

source: American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC)

year: 2021

summary/abstract:

Graves disease is the most common cause of overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism). It is an autoimmune disorder, an attack on the thyroid gland by a person’s own immune system. The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped organ that lies flat against the windpipe in the throat. It produces the hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) and plays an important role in controlling the body’s metabolism.

Thyroid hormone production is normally regulated in a feedback mechanism that includes the pituitary gland, a pea-sized organ at the base of the brain. The pituitary produces thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), which in turn stimulates the production of T4 and T3. With Graves disease, an autoantibody called thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI) is produced. TSI acts like TSH and causes the thyroid gland to produce excess thyroid hormone. Over time, this can cause the thyroid gland to enlarge.

 

read more

Related Content

To improve your experience on this site, we use cookies. This includes cookies essential for the basic functioning of our website, cookies for analytics purposes, and cookies enabling us to personalize site content. By clicking on 'Accept' or any content on this site, you agree that cookies can be placed. You may adjust your browser's cookie settings to suit your preferences. More Information

The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.

Close

Powered by

Brought to you by

Supported through an independent
educational grant by

© 2022 rareLife solutions Inc.