Hyperthyroidism v Graves

[Silver_Fairy]

Can someone please tell me the difference between the test results that would diagnose the two disorders?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Does this help:

DEFINITIONS

Graves’ disease is a syndrome characterized by hyperthyroidism, a particular ophthalmopathy, and pretibial myxedema. Rarely thyroid acropachy is associated. Usually thyroid enlargement, goiter, and excessive thyroid hormone action are the features of the illness, but the presence of all or any individual component fits a patient within the syndrome, and patients need not be hyperthyroid to have Graves’ disease. The syndrome typically includes two major categories of phenomena. Those specific to Graves’ disease, and caused by the autoimmunity per se, include the exophthalmos, thyroid enlargement and thyroid stimulation, and the dermal changes. The second set of problems is caused by the excess thyroid hormone. This thyrotoxicosis, or hyperthyroidism, does not differ from that induced by any other cause of excess thyroid hormone. The other causes of thyroid hormone excess are described in other sections of THYROIDMANAGER. Excess thyroid hormone causes a widespread disturbance in metabolism, since thyroid hormone effectively regulates the metabolic level in the body. For practical purposes, the two names, thyrotoxicosis, or hyperthyroidism, are used interchangeably.

thyroidmanager.org/chapter/...

I always read "hyperthyroidism" as simply the presence of too much thyroid hormone such that it is causing symptoms. It can be caused by nodules, struma ovarii, TSHoma, or several other possibilities.

I'd also suggest that even someone who suffers Graves' but has no thyroid tissue left (e.g. due to total thyroidectomy) continues to be a Graves' sufferer.

Rod

[Silver_Fairy in reply to helvella]

Thanks Rod, even after loads of research I can hardly get my head round all this! This will probably sound daft but do you have antibodies with any other type of hyperthyroidism?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Silver_Fairy]

You can have antibodies with anything! (Like chips. )

The critical bit with Graves' seems to be that one sort of antibody, the Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulin (TSI) or Thyroid Stimulating Hormone Receptor Antibody (TRAB) seems to get stuck exactly where TSH should fit - and continues to make the thyroid pump out thyroid hormone. Hence the hyperthyroid aspect.

But other antibodies, including TPOab and TGab which we most often go on about in Hashimoto's, can most certainly be present in other disorders that could cause hyperthyroidism. Indeed, though we usually think of Hashimoto's as being a cause of hypothyroidism, it commonly produces at least low level temporary hyperthyroidism.

Rod

[Silver_Fairy in reply to helvella]

Thank you Rod