Graves Eye Disease and Hyperthyroid

Your input matters, take part in AARDA's strategic planning survey

Hi everyone.  As a board member of American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association* (AARDA), a national non-profit based in southeast Michigan, I'm helping to create awareness of a public survey that is in place to gather feedback in guiding AARDA's priorities in programs, services and research for the next five years.  

Autoimmune diseases affect people all across the world, with over 50 million Ammericans alone living with an autoimmune disease.  There are over 100 autoimmune diseases, including Graves' Disease which I have, plus others that are more common like Celiac, Rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus, MS, Scleroderma, Psoriasis, Alopecia, Vitiligo and more.

Please take this opportunity to provide your input.  Every voice counts.

Take the AARDA survey now by clicking here.

 

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#Selenium Might Help Treat Symptoms in Grave's Eye Disease

Hot off the press!  A new study shows how the trace mineral selenium improves quality of life and slows the progression of eye problems in people with Grave's Disease.  Here's the synopsis:

-->the study was conducted by Italian researchers, and they compared daily selenium use to both a medication called pentoxifylline and a placebo

-->they found selenium could benefit people with Grave's Disease with eye involvement, without causing side effects

-->the study included a small sample size of 159 people with mild Grave's orbitopathy; they were randomly assigned to take 2 daily doses of either 100 micrograms of selenium, 600 milligrams of pentoxifylline or a placebo

-->After 6 months, the researchers found that selenium treatment, but not pentoxifylline or the placebo was associated with an improved quality of life.  Selenium was also found to slow the progression of Grave's orbitopathy and reduce eye symptoms compared to the placebo and pentoxifylline

-->the researchers found that the benefits of selenium lasted for at least another six months after the study ended

-->there were no side effects reported with selenium or placebo

Results of this study will be published in the May 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Here's the study:  selenium might help treat symptoms in Grave's Disease if you want to read the report out in its entirety.  This is good news for those of us with Grave's Disease and one of the few specific Grave's related research efforts that I am aware of.