Which statement best describes Graves disease?

Which statement best describes Graves disease?

• A. Your thyroid gland is not producing enough hormones; consequently, you will need replacement therapy.
• B. Your thyroid gland is overactive, but there are ways to treat it through medicine or surgery.
• C. It's an autoimmune disorder that has no satisfactory treatment.
• D. Graves disease is a temporary disorder that will gradually subside.

Answer: (B)

Graves disease is an autoimmune condition that makes the thyroid gland turn on too much, producing excess thyroid hormones and causing hyperthyroidism. The description that the thyroid is overactive and there are treatments available with medicine or surgery captures what Graves is and how it’s managed. Treatments include antithyroid medications that reduce hormone production, radioactive iodine to destroy part of the gland, and surgical removal of part or all of the thyroid. Symptom relief can also come from beta-blockers. This isn’t a deficiency that needs hormone replacement, so that first statement isn’t correct. It’s not true that Graves has no satisfactory treatment, and it isn’t a temporary disorder that will subside on its own; it’s usually a chronic condition that requires ongoing management.

Graves disease is an autoimmune condition that makes the thyroid gland turn on too much, producing excess thyroid hormones and causing hyperthyroidism. The description that the thyroid is overactive and there are treatments available with medicine or surgery captures what Graves is and how it’s managed. Treatments include antithyroid medications that reduce hormone production, radioactive iodine to destroy part of the gland, and surgical removal of part or all of the thyroid. Symptom relief can also come from beta-blockers.

This isn’t a deficiency that needs hormone replacement, so that first statement isn’t correct. It’s not true that Graves has no satisfactory treatment, and it isn’t a temporary disorder that will subside on its own; it’s usually a chronic condition that requires ongoing management.