Although Graves' disease had been noted as early as the fifth century B.C.E. by Aristotle and Xenophon, it
was named after Dr. Robert James Graves, who, in 1835, described the condition in
a famous monograph by documenting 3 female patients at the Meath Hospital in Dublin,
Ireland with the triad of tachycardia, goiter, and exophthalmos.
1
Subsequently, in 1958, McKenzie demonstrated that the blood of patients with Graves'
disease contained a long-acting thyroid stimulator, thereby illustrating that Graves'
disease is an autoimmune disorder. Graves' disease accounts for 60-80% of hyperthyroidism
cases and is more common in women. The annual incidence is around 0.5 per 1000 women,
and only 1/5 to 1/10th of that in men.
2
Patients typically present with symptoms of nervousness, palpitations, heat intolerance,
increased perspiration, fatigue, and weight loss. Classic physical exam finding includes
tachycardia, goiter, tremor, warm skin, thyroid bruit, and eye changes such as eye
lid retraction, lid lag, proptosis, and exophthalmos.To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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References
- The surgical management of Graves' disease.J Surg Res. 2006; 133 (207-4)
- Graves' disease.N Engl J Med. 2000; 343: 1236-1248
- Utilization of fine-needle aspiration in patients undergoing thyroidectomy at two academic centers across the Atlantic.World J Surg. 2003; 27: 208-211
- Current trends in the management of Graves' disease.J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1990; 70: 1518-1524
- The management of hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease in Europe in 1986. Results of an international survey.Acta Endocrinol Suppl (Copenh). 1987; 285: 3-23
- Differences and similarities in the diagnosis and treatment of Graves' disease in Europe, Japan, and the United States.Thyroid. 1991; 1: 129-135
- Surgery versus radioiodine therapy as definitive management for Graves' disease: The role of patient preference.Thyroid. 2007; 17: 157-160
- The effect of anti-thyroid drug treatment duration on thyroid gland microvessel density and intraoperative blood loss in the patients with Graves' disease.Surgery. 2008; 143: 216-225
- Effect of lugol solution on thyroid gland blood flow and microvessel density in the patients with Graves' disease.J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007; 92: 2182-2189
Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 21, 2007
Accepted:
September 13,
2007
Identification
Copyright
© 2008 Mosby, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
