For Graves- Is it true thyroid burns out to other extreme of hypothyroid? - Question and Answer Forum - Elaine Moore Graves' Disease and Autoimmune Disease Education

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Tuesday, February 07, 2012

..:: Q & A ::..

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Welcome to The Q&A with Elaine Moore. Registered members are invited to ask any question of Elaine Moore on autoimmune diseases, Graves' disease, other thyroid diseases and subconditions, laboratory work, traditional and complementary medicine, triggers and environmental influences, thyroid and immune disorders in pets and animals, and other relevant areas of inquiry.

Each thread represents one question with one answer and will only appear at the time it is answered. Once answered, further replies cannot be made to the same thread since each thread represents only one question. A new thread will need to be started for additional questions.

Questions are answered solely by Elaine Moore, a medical writer and clinical laboratory scientist, MT, CLS, with more than 30 years of experience in immunology. Moore has also authored and edited over a dozen books in the area of health sciences and is an editor for McFarland Publisher's Health Topics Series.

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For Graves- Is it true thyroid burns out to other extreme of hypothyroid?

2/26/2009 2:42 PM

myrajn

Joined: 9/17/2008

Posts: 11

For Graves- Is it true thyroid burns out to other extreme of hypothyroid?

Hi Elaine!

I just established with a new Endo. He said that if I stay on Methimazole for a long time, my thyroid will naturally burn out to other extreme, of hypothyroid & I'll have to take hormone replacement for the rest of my life. He made it sound like the results would be the same whether I got RAI or stayed on low doses of Methimazole. Is that true? I don't understand why my thyroid would burn out at all if it's being controlled by the medication.

Thanks!

2/27/2009 9:41 PM

Elaine

Joined: 8/1/2008

Posts: 3166

Re: For Graves- Is it true thyroid burns out to other extreme of hypothyroid?

Hi Myra,

The thyroid doesn't burn out in Graves disease although after many years without treatment, if Graves' disease remained active, which is rare, the gland could atrophy. The normal course of Graves' disease is a move into remission with normal thyroid function remaining.

About 20% of patients can move from hyperthyroidism into mild hypothyroidism, but this type of hypothyroidism is very mild compared to hypothyroidism caused by RAI. And this type of hypothyoridism can resolve on its own similar to the way hyperthyroidism does. Hypothyroidism following Graves' disease isn't caused by glandular failure. Rather it's caused when people start making blocking rather than stimulating TSH receptor antibodies. Best, Elaine

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For Graves- Is it true thyroid burns out to other extreme of hypothyroid?

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