Hi everyone! We had a great day here in Boston at Day 1 of the "Bridge to Wellness" conference hosted by the Graves' Disease & Thyroid Foundation. We heard from an array of experts who spoke on a variety of topics, which I've summarized for you below:
Dr. Terry Smith, from the Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan:
1) Rheumatoid arthritis is a close cousin of Graves' Disease; 2) Graves' Disease is a syndrome; 3) Graves' Disease comprises both systemic and anatomic specific manifestations; 4) the hypothalamus and pituitary gland call the shots, they direct the thyroid gland; 5) women are 9 times more likely than men to get Graves' Disease; 6) Graves' Disease travels in families; 7) like weight loss, weight gain is possible and occurs in Graves' Disease and 8) Graves' Eye issues occur in 10-40% of Graves' Disease patients.
Dr. Lewis Braverman, Professor of Medicine Boston University
1) In the U.S., most cases of GD are treated with RAI. Second is anti-thyroid drug treatment. Third most common treatment is surgery; 2) there is risk of worsening of eye issues in both surgery and RAI treatment; 3) untreated hypothyroidism that follows surgical or RAI treatment can cause worsening of eye symptoms, hence why it's important to follow the patient closely after these procedures; 4) even with anti-thyroid drug treatment, you may become hypo-thyroid; 5) GD can reappear or get worse after pregnancy
Dr. Jeff Karff, Asst. Professor of Medicine, Tufts University
1) Goal of RAI treatment should render your thyroid non-functioning; 2) stressful life events can precipitate autoimmune thyroid disease; 3) you can flip/flop between over/under active thyroidism (Graves' Disease on the one end, Hashimoto's Disease on the other); 4) a small % of the population is radio-resistant, when when you administer RAI it doesn't effectively render the thyroid gland non-functioning, may require 2nd treatment; 5) no two cases of GD are alike, even in identical twins! and 6) hypothyroid can cause elevated cholesteral, joint pain, heavy periods, decreased hearing, and hair loss.
Dr. Anca Avram, Asst. Professor of Radiology, University of Michigan
1) thyroid hormones are 60% iodine; 2) RAI doses in benign thyroid treatment is not associated with increased risk of cancer and 3) asians tend to h ave milder forms of Graves' Disease, and respond better to anti-thyroid drugs.
Dr. Herbert Benson, Director Emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital; Assoc. Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
1) 60-90% of health care visits are stress related; 2) any stressful situation evokes the fight or flight syndrome, where stress can be real or perceived; 3) invoking the relaxation response can directly and positively affect your stress response, inflamation, and apoptosis (aging) and 4) your mind can affect expression of our genes, thus we need to take adequate advantage of this innate capability that lies within us.
I've ran short of time to summarize any more for now. But do look to Twitter at #GDBoston to find more information, and check out the Facebook page of the Graves' Disease & Thyroid Foundation.
Tune in again tomorrow for Day 2's summary. And let me know if you have any specific questions you'd like me to ask of the experts while I'm here.
