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What is Grave's disease? Grave's disease is a disorder of the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is a butterfly shaped gland located in the neck that produces two hormones that regulate your metabolism. In Grave's disease the thyroid is stimulated by an antibody produced by the immune system. It causes and overproduction of thyroid hormones or hyperthyroidism. It usually occurs in women and it is a hereditary disease.
The symptoms of Grave's disease are:
muscle weakness
fast, irregular heart rate
enlarged thyroid gland
moodiness, depression and/or irritability
weight loss with increased appetite
nervousness and/or tremors
intolerance of heat (prefers cold)
increased sweating
exophthalmos (which is a condition when the eyes "bug out".
Diagnosis includes physical exam of the thyroid where it may be noted to be physically larger. Blood tests for levels of thyroid hormones are needed. Also an ultrasound is done of the gland. This is a noninvasive (meaning they don't cut you open or even use needles) procedure where a gel is put on the neck then the wand of the machine is rolled gently over the neck by a technician and an image of your thyroid comes up on the screen. Ultrasounds of any organ in the body is just like an ultrasound done to a pregnant woman to see her unborn baby.
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