How is Graves' disease dangerous for humans? Causes and treatment methods for Graves' disease.

Graves' disease(Graves' disease, diffuse toxic goiter) - increase thyroid gland caused by excess production of hormones in this organ.

This endocrine disease usually appears at 30-40 years of age. Women suffer from this pathology 8 times more often than men. The mechanism of development of Graves' disease is the production of an abnormal protein, which causes more intense thyroid function. Therefore, diffuse toxic goiter is an autoimmune disease.

The disease diffuse toxic goiter may be indicated by a combination low level thyroid-stimulating hormone and high - thyroxine. This indicates the autonomous production of hormones by the gland, not controlled by the pituitary gland. Most often, this function is provoked by diffuse toxic goiter, but to confirm the diagnosis it is necessary to detect antibodies that stimulate the thyroid gland.

Degrees of the disease

Considering the degree of thyrotoxicosis, there are 3 forms of the disease: mild, moderate, severe.

The first usually goes unnoticed, the patient’s pulse is about 100 beats, weight loss does not exceed 10%. In humans, neurotic reactions predominate.

The average degree is characterized by an increase in blood pressure (150/90), pulse (100-120 beats), weight loss (by about 10-20%) and ability to work. The borders of the heart expand to the left.

In the severe form, other organs (especially the liver) and systems are affected, the pulse exceeds 120, and the body weight deficit is more than 20%. A person begins to consume 80% more oxygen than in healthy condition. Complications arise in the form of psychosis, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, hepatitis. Symptoms of thyrotoxicosis and ophthalmopathy are clearly expressed. The patient loses his ability to work.

Symptoms

Symptoms of the disease appear in all organ systems.

With increased synthesis of thyroid hormones, the following symptoms occur: weight loss, feeling hot, increased urination, even leading to dehydration. These processes are due to the fact that the breakdown of nutrients in the body begins to accelerate, and as a result, energy consumption increases.

In patients, peristalsis accelerates, they complain of diarrhea, and sometimes acidity decreases gastric juice. In men, potency decreases; in women, it deteriorates menstrual cycle. Severe and moderate forms of the disease threaten infertility.

With a long course of the disease, osteoporosis and bulging eyes (exophthalmos) develop. More often, the eyes bulge evenly, less often - asymmetrically. Also, the symptom may extend to only one eyeball. Severe exophthalmia can cause inflammation and ulcers of the cornea, which can lead to vision loss.

Symptoms of Graves' disease vary widely, making diagnosis difficult. On early stage Symptoms, as a rule, hardly appear. On initial stage patients experience trembling of the fingers, increased sweating, palpitations, mood swings. Basedow's disease also manifests itself in irritability, fussiness and restlessness, sleep disturbances and concentration problems. Reflexes become more acute, and children experience involuntary twitching. The patient does not tolerate heat well, he feels hot even in the cold season. He is losing weight despite eating normally

Causes

It is not known for certain why diffuse toxic goiter develops, but the leading role in its occurrence belongs to autoimmune processes.

In autoimmune diseases, under the influence of neuropsychic and other factors, an immune failure occurs and antibodies begin to be produced that damage normal cells body. In Graves' disease, an abnormal protein is produced that stimulates increased thyroid function. Due to severe neuropsychic shock, it develops acute form diseases.

Diffuse toxic goiter more often affects people with a hereditary predisposition, diabetes, hormone deficiency parathyroid glands, vitiligo (skin pigmentation disorder due to lack of melanin). In genetically predisposed people, Graves' disease can develop due to infection, skull trauma, or metabolic stress.

Persons suffering from chronic tonsillitis are especially susceptible to Graves' disease. viral infections, and those patients who were injected with radioactive iodine for the purpose of examination.

Complications

Graves' disease cannot be ignored as it can cause an infertile marriage.

Diffuse toxic goiter can also lead to thyrotoxic crisis(thyrotoxic coma). This complication manifests itself in excessive release of thyroid hormones into the blood, severe intoxication of the cardiovascular, nervous systems, liver, and adrenal glands.

This complication threatens the patient's life. It can be caused by the following factors: severe mental trauma, increased physical activity, various surgical interventions, and infectious diseases.

A crisis also occurs if thyrotoxicosis is not treated for a long time.

In addition, this condition is provoked by therapy with radioactive iodine, surgery diseases treated without sufficient medical compensation.

Basic treatment

Used in the treatment of illness medicinal method. The course of therapy begins with high doses of drugs, which are subsequently reduced.

Symptoms disappear after 1.5-2 months, but treatment must be continued for another six months to 2 years.

If a woman is pregnant, she is prescribed minimal doses of medications to reduce the risk of the fetus developing thyroid hormone deficiency. After childbirth, the condition of young mothers often worsens, so they are constantly monitored. If the woman receives minimal doses of medications in the future and periodically checks the baby's thyroid function, she can continue to breastfeed.

Maintenance therapy includes vitamins, nutritional fluids, sedatives. During treatment, iodized salt should be excluded from the menu and the amount of iodine-rich foods should be limited. Patients are also prohibited from sunbathing.

Basic drugs

The main means of such treatment are mercazolil and methylthiouracil (or propylthiouracil). The daily dose of Mercazolil is 30-40 mg (if diffuse toxic goiter becomes severe, it sometimes reaches 60-80 mg). Supportive daily dose of this drug is usually 10-15 mg. The dose of Mercazolil is reduced according to an individual scheme, focusing on the following signs: stabilization of the pulse and pulse pressure, increase in body weight, disappearance of trembling fingers, sweating. Every 10-14 days, treatment with Mercazolil is carried out clinical analysis blood (with maintenance therapy - every month).

As an addition to antithyroid medications, patients are shown b-blockers, glucocorticoids (have an anti-inflammatory effect), potassium supplements, and sedatives.

Through immunomodulatory therapy, autoantibodies are suppressed, due to which diffuse toxic goiter begins to grow.

Thyrostatics are designed to reduce the amount of hormones produced by the goiter.

β-blockers reduce heart rate, arterial pressure and stress on the heart. These drugs also have a slight sedative effect.

Treatment radioactive iodine

After unsuccessful attempts at drug treatment, radioactive iodine is used. This is a fairly popular method.

This technique is contraindicated for young patients of childbearing age, but is actively prescribed to people who no longer plan to have children. Radioactive iodine damages the cells of the thyroid gland, as a result of which its activity decreases.

Absolute indications for the operation - severe forms Graves' disease. The operation is performed only after drug compensation has been achieved (to avoid thyrotoxic crisis).

Surgery

If drug treatment turns out to be ineffective or causes side effects (allergic reactions, persistent decline leukocytes), carry out surgery, removing part of the thyroid gland. However, the cause of the disorder is not eliminated.

The operation is contraindicated if:

• mild Graves' disease;
• Not large sizes thyroid glands;
• acute circulatory disorder in the brain;
• recent heart attack;
• the presence or recent infection of an infectious disease;
• heavy accompanying pathologies, increasing the risk of death.

Diffuse toxic goiter(other names for this disease are Graves' disease , Graves' disease ) - This pathological process, which is characterized by an increase thyroid gland diffuse in nature, while the patient experiences symptoms.

The Irish were the first to officially describe diffuse toxic goiter Robert James Graves(1835), and German Karl Adolf von Basedow(1840). It is their names that are called in modern medicine this is a disease.

Causes

This disease is of an autoimmune nature. Its main feature is increased function thyroid gland ( hyperthyroidism ). Gradually, the size of the thyroid gland increases, and it produces much more thyroid hormones than when normal operation. It is generally accepted that the main mechanism of the autoimmune process in patients with diffuse toxic goiter is the production of special agents by the immune system. As a result, the human thyroid gland is constantly overactive. The consequence of this is an increase in the concentration of thyroid hormones in the patient’s blood.

Scientists have not yet determined exactly why Graves' disease leads to the appearance of such antibodies. There is a theory that patients with Graves' disease have “incorrect” TSH receptors in their bodies. It's them the immune system people and defines them as “strangers”. There is also a version that the main reason why a person suffers from diffuse toxic goiter is the presence of a defect in the immune system. As a result, the human immune system is unable to contain the immune response directed against the tissues of one’s own body. Modern doctors are engaged in research aimed at determining the role different types microorganisms on the development of the disease.

In addition, the causes of Graves' disease leading to its progression are stress , infectious diseases , mental trauma .

Symptoms

Graves' disease in humans is expressed by signs characteristic of thyrotoxicosis. Symptoms of Graves' disease are determined by the fact that the patient's body experiences an acceleration of all metabolic processes. He has a rapid pulse, often has diarrhea, and sweating is very active. There is also stimulation nervous system, which leads to the person becoming very irritable, sometimes his hands tremble. A patient who develops Graves' disease tolerates heat and sun very poorly.

Often, when there is an appetite, the patient loses weight, since the food that enters his body does not have time to compensate for the too rapid breakdown of proteins. Besides a large number of hormones produced by the thyroid gland cause too rapid breakdown of nutrients, which, in turn, leads to high energy costs. But in patients at a young age often body weight increases, although there are signs of increased metabolism. Increased urination that occurs with this disease often leads to dehydration. That is why treatment of Graves' disease must be timely and correct.

Often with Graves' disease it is noted endocrine ophthalmopathy , which is typical. Most often, ophthalmopathy of varying severity develops with diffuse toxic goiter. In most cases, both eyes are affected, and the signs of this disease, as a rule, develop along with the main symptoms of diffuse toxic goiter. But sometimes ophthalmopathy develops earlier or later than thyroid disease.

Increased production of thyroid hormones leads to changes in behavior, mood changes, severe resentment, depressive state. Phobias sometimes develop, and the condition may also occur periodically. Sleep disorders are accompanied by very frequent awakenings and disturbing dreams.

Later the patient develops goiter - a tumor-like enlargement of the gland, which is noticeable to the naked eye. In this case, a swelling occurs on the surface of the neck in front, which the doctor easily notices during examination.

It is customary to distinguish three degrees of severity of the disease. If at mild degree thyrotoxicosis are observed moderate symptoms, then with severe thyrotoxicosis a person’s heart rate increases, weight loss reaches a degree catechism , the person suffers from weakness. If the disease is not treated in time, it may develop thyrotoxic crisis .

Diagnostics

If you suspect the development of Graves' disease, you should consult an endocrinologist. The basis for a comprehensive diagnosis is the presence characteristic symptoms. During the research process laboratory analysis blood to determine the amount of thyroid hormones, as well as the titer of classical antibodies and iodine accumulation function of the thyroid gland. If the doctor visually determines that the thyroid gland is enlarged, the patient undergoes an ultrasound scan.

Another test that is used much less frequently when diffuse toxic goiter is suspected is a fine-needle biopsy of the thyroid gland. The specialist takes cells from the thyroid gland using a thin needle. The cells are then examined under a microscope. This procedure is advisable if the doctor identifies a nodular formation in the gland that is easily palpated, or its size is more than 1 cm in diameter.

During the diagnostic process, the patient must be aware that an enlarged thyroid gland does not depend on the severity of the disease.

Treatment

To this day, there is no specifically specific method of treating the processes that lead to the development of the disease. Diffuse toxic goiter should be treated in such a way as to reduce the signs of thyrotoxicosis. Initially, treatment of diffuse toxic goiter involves taking a thyreostatic drug, which is selected by the attending physician. In the process of receiving this medication Symptoms of the disease in many patients become less pronounced. Drugs that reduce the production of thyroid hormones are necessarily prescribed to children and young people under 25 years of age. Such medications are also used to treat older patients, and they should also be taken to reduce the symptoms of the disease before surgery.

However main problem in this case is the fact that immediately after discontinuation of such a drug, a relapse of the disease is often observed, both in adults and in children. If a relapse occurs, the patient is prescribed an operation in which part of the gland is removed. This operation is called a thyroidectomy. Except traditional surgery destruction of gland cells is practiced using radioactive iodine .

The patient takes radioactive iodine in capsules. The dose of the drug depends on the size of the goiter. Gradually, iodine accumulates in the cells of the thyroid gland, which leads to their death. Before taking iodine, the patient stops taking thyreostatic drugs. After treatment with radioactive iodine, the symptoms of the disease disappear after a few weeks. In some cases it is prescribed re-treatment. Sometimes thyroid function is completely suppressed. Although this treatment appears to be relatively simple and convenient, it is rarely used in children and young people. Doctors are wary of the possibility harmful action such treatment affects the body as a whole. Although the use of this method for about forty years has not revealed any harmful effects on other body systems.

The attending physician also takes into account the fact that, as a rule, it improves the condition of a patient who has a mild disease. However, sometimes in a pregnant woman the condition, on the contrary, worsens.

Symptoms of the disease are also effectively reduced by medications from another group - beta blockers. They can block the body from having too much hormone produced by the thyroid gland, but do not directly affect the thyroid gland.

Surgical treatment is practiced when the goiter is too large, as well as when there is no effect after taking medications. Thyroidectomy is performed in a hospital, after which hospitalization continues for several more days.

The doctors

Medicines

Prevention

To prevent the development of Graves' disease, you must follow correct image life, avoid stress. It is very important for women to follow these rules during a period when there is a risk hormonal imbalances increases. Patients with Graves' disease should not be exposed to the sun, swim in the sea, or take hydrogen sulfide baths. You should always try to comply peace of mind, periodically visit sanatoriums with specialized treatment. The patient's diet should be sufficiently high in calories, with big amount carbohydrates. It is important to limit animal proteins in the diet, and also rarely consume foods that have a stimulating effect on the body (tea, coffee, spicy foods, etc.). It is worth eating foods containing iodine: seaweed, seafood, vegetables and fruits.

Graves' disease affects 1 in about 200 people and usually affects women more often than men. It is an autoimmune disease and main reason hyperthyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland produces too many hormones. If the disease is diagnosed and treated correctly, remission can be achieved. However, if left untreated, it can lead to serious, even life-threatening consequences, and the approach official medicine to treatment can be just as aggressive.

Your thyroid gland produces hormones that control your metabolism and regulate extremely important metabolic functions such as heartbeat, energy levels, weight, hair growth, mood, brain function and more. Typically, the thyroid gland receives instructions from the thyroid-stimulating hormone TSH, which is produced in the pituitary gland. However, in Graves' disease, the body's immune system goes into revolt and releases antibodies that attack TSH receptors. As a result, the thyroid gland works overtime, producing dangerously high levels of thyroid hormones that feverishly speed up your metabolism.
This may lead to:

• rapid heartbeat
• weight loss
• insomnia
• trembling (tremor)
• muscle weakness
• high body temperature
• sweating
• anxiety or panic attacks

1. Eliminate gluten (gluten)

– for many people gluten causes chronic inflammation in the intestines. This causes your immune system, which is already attacking your thyroid, to produce even more antibodies. To make matters worse, to the immune system, gluten and the thyroid gland look very similar in structure to each other, so it often confuses them - the so-called phenomenon of molecular mimicry. This means your immune system attacks your thyroid even more when you eat foods that contain gluten.

2. Eat sea vegetables

are a natural source of iodine and are rich in micronutrients including copper and zinc. All these nutrients have important for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland. Sea vegetables- This seaweed, wakame, nori/red seaweed, dark red edible seaweed (dulse), and hijiki.

3. Add selenium

– when the thyroid gland converts iodide to iodine to produce hormones, oxidizing agents (oxidants) are produced, which cause autoimmune reaction. Selenium neutralizes oxidants, and studies show that increasing selenium levels in patients with autoimmune disease Thyroid reduces the level of thyroid antibodies. Meat, fish and shellfish are rich in selenium, so add more of these foods to your diet.

4. Purify the air.

Coal-fired power plants (CHPs) release tons of mercury into the atmosphere every year. Mercury is dangerous to our health for many reasons, but studies have shown that women with high level mercury are more than twice as likely to have antibodies to thyroid gland. You can use a HEPA air filter to remove mercury, and breathe safely, clean air; You can also purify the air with plants such as aloe vera, chlorophytum crested and bamboo palms.

5. Remove amalgam fillings.

Dentists use amalgam fillings, which contain mercury and release mercury vapor that can enter the bloodstream. If you have amalgam fillings, visit your dentist to discuss the impact they may have on your health and options for replacing them.

6. Relieve stress

– Find ways to minimize stress. This is one of the most important changes lifestyle choices you can make. Stress has Negative influence on your immune system and gut, so reducing your stress levels is very, very important to overcoming Graves' disease.

Everyone relieves stress differently, so explore and experiment with what works best for you. Spend some time in prayer or fresh air in nature, get a massage or learn to meditate. Just remember to practice stress management regularly.

7. Get enough sleep

- dream, by at least, from 8 to 10 hours is required for proper operation thyroid gland. Turn off your computer at least an hour before bed, dim the lights, read a book, or enjoy a cup of chamomile tea. Take a shower or bath to wash away the day. A sachet of lavender in the bedroom will also help relax your mind and body for a great night's sleep.

8. Drink herbs

– naturally regulate your thyroid hormones and reduce symptoms of hyperthyroidism. You can take these herbs in addition to help manage your symptoms while you treat the underlying causes of your Graves' disease.

If you or someone you know is struggling with Graves' disease, don't give up. There are many hidden factors that contribute to disease and they can be difficult to untangle, but thanks to advances in functional medicine and our understanding of how factors environment affect our health, you can address the root causes of your illness and reverse your disease.

Graves' disease ( diffuse goiter) - this is the name of the most famous and widespread. It is familiar to many of us from photographs from textbooks, which depict people with a goiter on the neck and bulging eyes.

This is what diffuse goiter is, it is treated with hormone therapy. Even before its appearance, it was believed that the only way to cure Graves' disease was to remove part of the thyroid gland. During the Middle Ages, no one thought at all about how to treat this disease. People with strange eyes they were simply burned at the stake because they were considered sorcerers and witches.

Fortunately, today Graves' disease can be called well studied. And for its treatment there are several very effective techniques.

Variety of this disease can be called nodular colloid goiter.

Causes of the disease

There are many reasons leading to the appearance of this disease. Modern doctors suggest that the biggest role in the occurrence of the disease is played by hereditary predisposition.

In addition, in the last few years, scientists have discovered that Graves' disease is autoimmune in nature, that is, it is associated with a deficiency of the immune system. For this reason, it can be put on a par with hepatitis, rheumatism and ulcerative colitis.

The very occurrence of the disease, or to be more precise, the likelihood that a person will get it, is associated with many factors. The first is attributed to mental trauma and infections. When an infection enters the body, defense mechanisms are launched, which lead to the immune system choosing the thyroid gland as a target.

Remember that even if you have a predisposition to Graves' disease, this does not mean that you will definitely get it.

Degrees of the disease

The severity of Graves' disease is characterized by how severely it is affected:

1. Light degree . With it, a decrease in body weight by 10-15 percent, a rapid heartbeat and a decrease in performance are noted.
2. Average. Here, approximately 20% of body weight is already lost, the person feels high nervous excitability, and the heart beats approximately 100-120 beats per minute.
3. Severe stage. Signs: severe weight loss, tachycardia, the occurrence of atrial fibrillation, liver damage, insufficient blood circulation and almost complete loss of ability to work.

Symptoms of the disease

All symptoms, and some of them have already been named earlier, can be divided into 3 main groups:

A goiter that becomes noticeable even with visual contact. Moreover, how much does not indicate the severity of the disease. That is, in men, the goiter can be enlarged quite slightly and almost not be palpable. Their gland enlarges due to the lateral parts that fit tightly to the trachea.

Bug-eyed. Here everything is again very individual. One person's eyes will simply have a strange shine, while another's eyelids may become deformed.

Tachycardia - rapid heartbeat.

These signs can be called characteristic of Graves' disease, but besides them there are also other symptoms that appear with this disease.

A person suffering from a condition such as Graves' disease will complain about how they feel general weakness, his irritability increases, his sleep is disturbed. In addition, one can notice practically complete intolerance heat and sweating.

Sometimes there are squeezing or stabbing pains in the heart. Appetite also increases, but weight tends to decrease. An excess of gland hormones leads to tremors in the fingers, tongue and the entire body. There is almost fear.

Graves' disease(diffuse toxic goiter, Graves' disease) is rightfully considered a life-threatening disease of the thyroid gland. The defeat of almost all organs and systems makes it very dangerous disease Graves. Patients sometimes have different attitudes towards their illness, ranging from anxious-manic restriction of themselves in everything to complete ignorance and refusal to admit that they have an illness.

Naturally, such extremes in behavior cannot pass unnoticed. For some this can result in severe depression, for others - severe complications or, worse, early death. Hello, my name is Dilyara Lebedeva. I am an endocrinologist, and you can find out more about me on the “About the Author” page.

A person with Graves' disease is a person with a “big” heart. And the point is not that he develops such qualities as kindness, cordiality, understanding or sympathy. Such people have a big heart in the most literal, anatomical sense of the word.

An excess of thyroid hormones made him this way. That’s why it’s so big and... weak. Yes, the increase in volume is in this case does not mean an increase in strength, rather the opposite. Unfortunately, this is not the only weak point in patients with Graves' disease. You can read more about this disease in the article

Forced restrictions in Graves' disease

This article is written for patients who want to take control (under reasonable control) of their disease. I will try to describe as clearly as possible what cannot be done with Graves’ disease, and not succumb to near-medical delirium and prejudices that may be imposed on you by people “out of the loop” (as they say now).

So, here are the “don’ts” that, if followed, will improve the quality of your life.

Do not take medications occasionally

Since it so happens that your doctor has decided to treat you with antithyroid drugs, then the key to the success of treatment is taking the drugs regularly. Constant fluctuations in the level of hormones (either higher or lower) if taken irregularly, negatively affects the organs, and, possibly, sensitivity to the drug in the future.

However, you have the right to demand that your doctor review your treatment tactics if taking pills is a burden for you. Moreover, the success rate of this treatment method is only 30%; in other cases, relapse occurs.

What other methods are used in the treatment of Graves' disease, read the article

Hormones should not be left unchecked

The second “don’t” follows directly from the first. When treating Graves' disease with thyreostatics, monthly monitoring of levels is necessary. TSH hormones, free T4 and T3.

In response to this, the pituitary gland begins to produce more TSH, and the hormone, in turn, causes the thyroid gland to enlarge.

That is why sometimes during treatment with thyreostatics the gland may increase. In this case, a certain dose of L-thyroxine is prescribed. This treatment regimen is called “block and replace.”

You can't get pregnant

I don't mean those cases where Graves' disease occurs against the background of an existing pregnancy. This will have its own tactics. We are interested in women who are just planning a pregnancy. When you have Graves' disease, pregnancy is contraindicated, because very toxic drugs are used in the treatment of this disease, and the disease itself carries a number of complications for both the mother and the fetus.

It is necessary to use reliable methods of contraception. You can plan a pregnancy only after complete cure diseases against the background of persistent euthyroidism. Upon achieving remission of the disease after long-term therapy With thyreostatics, there is no 100% guarantee that a relapse will not begin during pregnancy. Such a guarantee, or close to it, can only be provided by surgical and radiation treatment of Graves' disease.

Planning pregnancy after surgery can be immediately after recovery, and after radiation treatment You can plan a pregnancy after 1 year. This is very convenient, especially in cases where a woman is already at an age when delay can deprive her of the chance to have a child.

Do not consume iodine-containing drugs and products

In Graves' disease, the thyroid gland very actively takes iodine from foods entering the body. And iodine, as you know, is a substrate for thyroid hormones. Therefore, reasonable limitation in the consumption of iodine-containing products, as well as the use of regular (non-iodized) salt, takes place.

You can find out which foods contain a large amount of iodine from the tables in. You should also pay attention to the medications you are taking, as some of them may contain iodine.

You cannot self-medicate

Graves' disease– this is a life-threatening disease, and there is no place for amateur activity here. When this diagnosis is made, immediate treatment is required.

Some patients are not ready or willing to take synthetic drugs. A long and painful search begins alternative methods treatment. All this is a waste of precious time and health searching for the perfect medicine.

I declare with full responsibility that there are no effective alternative treatments for Graves' disease. Yes, in the times of our great-grandfathers and great-great-grandfathers they treated with various herbs or something else. But no one says what the mortality rate was for this disease and what the percentage of cures for Graves' disease was.

We use all the benefits of civilization: electricity, TV, telephone, Internet, cars, airplanes. So why do we reject advanced technologies and developments both in the pharmaceutical industry and traditional medicine? Is our body really simpler than the latest iPad model?

The bottom line is: look for a doctor who keeps up with modern medicine.

Don't deprive yourself of sleep and expose yourself to pointless stress.

This is true not only for patients suffering from Graves' disease, but for people in general. But for my patients this rule is also relevant because their sympathetic autonomic nervous system is very active, i.e. such people are sympathotonics.

And stress and lack of sleep cause even greater activity of the sympathetic nervous system, increasing the already existing anxiety, fussiness and irritability. The conclusion is simple, as in one cartoon about the little devil No. 13 - “love yourself, don’t give a damn about everyone, and success awaits you in life.”

You can’t stay in the active sun for a long time

And this rule can be recommended to all inhabitants of the planet. Staying under the sun in summer at its peak (from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.) is dangerous for anyone. And for a patient with Graves' disease, in addition, it is important that thyrotoxicosis is well compensated, that is, the level of free T4 should be within normal limits.

If the patient has and eye symptoms then wearing sunglasses is mandatory in hot climates, plus the use of special moisturizing eye drops.

Calcium-rich foods should not be neglected

Therefore, in order to preserve your bones as much as possible, you need to give preference to foods that contain large amounts of calcium. Remember that a person should receive at least 1 g of calcium per day. In some cases, it is possible to prescribe calcium and vitamin D tablets, but this prescription is made only on the recommendation of your doctor.

If you have not been prescribed calcium supplements, then ask your doctor about the advisability of such a prescription.

You can't lie on the couch

Benefit from physical activity cannot be overstated. But in everything you need to know when to stop. If earlier, before your illness, you regularly visited Gym, then classes can be continued provided that thyrotoxicosis is well compensated. Classes should not be intense at first; the pace of training should be increased gradually.

If you haven’t been anywhere near a gym before, and now, after an illness, you decide to take up sports, then you shouldn’t rush off the bat and prepare for the Olympic Games.

It is enough to start with daily walks along the street, gradually increasing speed and distance. The main thing is regularity of training. Naturally, this should be done only after stable compensation of thyrotoxicosis.

Don't lose heart and give up

This is perhaps the most important rule of all. This is the only way you will have an incentive to live, and it’s not easy to live, but to live well. And remember the words from the famous song: “Everything will pass, both sadness and joy.”

With warmth and care, endocrinologist Dilyara Lebedeva