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Graves disease - Symptom

Alternative Names

Diffuse thyrotoxic goiter

Symptoms:

Anxiety
Breast enlargement in men (possible)
Difficulty concentrating
Double vision
Eyeballs that stick out (exophthalmos)
Eye irritation and tearing
Fatigue
Frequent bowel movements
Goiter (possible)
Heat intolerance
Increased appetite
Increased sweating
Insomnia
Menstrual irregularities in women
Muscle weakness
Nervousness
Rapid or irregular heartbeat (palpitations)
Restlessness and difficulty sleeping
Shortness of breath with exertion
Tremor
Weight loss (rarely, weight gain)

Signs and tests:

Physical examination shows an increased heart rate. Examination of the neck may show that the thyroid gland is enlarged (goiter).

Other tests include:

This disease may also affect the following test results:

Orbit CT scan or ultrasound
Thyroid stimulation immunoglobulin (TSI), thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibody

Endocrine glands

Thyroid enlargement - scintiscan

Graves' disease

Thyroid gland

Reviewed last on: 8/9/2008
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Deborah Wexler, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Endocrinologist, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

AACE Thyroid Task Force. American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists medical guidelines for clinical practice fo rthe evaluation and treatment of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. Endocr Pract. 2002;8(6).

Davies TF, Larsen PR. Thyrotoxicosis. In: Kronenberg HM, Shlomo M, Polonsky KS, Larsen PR, eds. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2008:chap 11.

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