Graves in couples

[Kari55]

hi, I have recently been diagnosed with Graves (I’m 42) and my husband was diagnosed in 2008 (age 29) and relapsed in 2018 (currently in remission). I have discovered that George and Barbara Bush also both had Graves and although the cause was investigated, it was never found why both got it. Their dog got lupus. Has anyone ever come across any studies that would explain why couples might come down with Graves? I find it intriguing although I could be just a coincidence and simply stress plus genetic predisposition.

[greygoose]

Dr Broda Barnes had a theory that hypos were attracted to each other even when they didn't know they were hypo. It briefly happened to me. And I'll swear both my parents were hypo, although undiagnosed. Maybe there's the same type of attraction between people with Graves'.

[Kari55 in reply to greygoose]

Haha maybe! I come from the same country as my husband’s maternal grandparents which is also quite interesting 😁

[greygoose in reply to Kari55]

That could have something to do with it, too. But, in any case, hypo/hyper or not, I have never understood why people are attracted to some and not others. It's all a big mystery to me.

[Fruitandnutcase]

That is really interesting. No signs of Graves in my husband when I had it but looking back I’m pretty sure my mother had it but was never diagnosed. She was dead by the time I had Graves but looking back I could recognise a volatility in myself that reminded me of her.

[Buddy195 Administrator]

I’d love to know if you find a link Kari55.

One advantage to you both having Graves must be shared empathy. No one in my family ‘truly understands’ what a thyroid journey is really like (as Im the only one with a diagnosis)…. That’s why I’m indebted to members here as they ‘fully understand’

Best wishes to you both 🦋

[Sparklingsunshine]

"Couples who have Graves together stay together" to paraphrase an old saying 🤭

[Kari55 in reply to Sparklingsunshine]

Haha

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to Sparklingsunshine]

Let’s just hope they don’t have it at the same time! Well if my experience of Graves was anything to go by. I’m sure I was deranged at times 🤣

We were standing outside a store waiting for the P&R bus to arrive. When it did a bunch of older pensioners were first in the queue were fiddling with their phones and didn’t make any move to get on it. Eventually I said ‘Are you going to get on that bus or are you just going to stand there until the driver gets fed up and moves off?’ Well, they looked at me and they got on but the last one who was just before us made a very pointed ‘Some people can’t wait’ comment. My poor husband was mortified by the whole experience. Makes me laugh when I think of it.

[FallingInReverse]

I talked to my dad recently. Opening his eyes to the invisible hypo patient set… in the US Levo is the #2 most prescribed medication. More than 20 million patients.

As he’s learned from me as I’ve learned from all of you, he is astounded at how hypo is so prevalent, first of all, and second of all how misunderstood it is.

I bring this up in this context because one of my dad’s questions was … why so much, and is it more/ increasing over time. And why. Especially since most hypo is autoimmune so presumably none of us did anything to get this…..???!

I read that radiation is suspected as having an impact (maybe on Sarah Myhill’s site?) I didn’t deep dive and prob getting it wrong. But it makes me think about whether there is a geographic cause. Like they talk about people who live under power lines with a higher concentration of cancer.

So when I read your question I think 1) at least in the US you have a 1 in 10 or 1 on 20 chance of hitting a hypo person at random… even writing it sounds unbelievable but that’s what it is. Those are odds I’d take any day.

And 2) I do wonder if there is concentration due to environmental things. All of which would increase our odds of pairing up with another hypo person.

Lastly - I am still curious about how many of those 20m (in the us) And as we know probably many many more undiagnosed and suffering through anti-depressants, statins, etc. How many are problematic like those we hear from on this forum). Being on Levo and being fine seems to be the norm indeed… how many crazy people like us are there to bump into?

And even with the majority UK people on this forum, where are all the US sufferers! Maybe there are less with the basic struggle with basic diagnoses and Levo scrips. But what proportion of the total are challenging.

[Stourie in reply to FallingInReverse]

I don’t know about the pairing up or the 1 in 10 or 20 but the ward l worked in with a staff of 30 there were 6 or 7 hypos including me. Quite a lot l thought. Jo xx

[Kari55 in reply to Stourie]

Wow that’s a lot.

[Stourie in reply to Kari55]

Isn’t it. Jo xx

[Marz]

Hubby and I both have Hashimotos ! Both had appendicitis and then gut issues. The source of auto-immunity it appears. I would consider j@bs affecting our immune systems residing mostly in the gut lining....I had gut TB post BCG and hubby Diverticulitis post a bundle of j#bs when doing National Service. Of course the jury is out in most places....

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to Marz]

That’s interesting Marz, do you know I’ve had diverticulitis about four times (not to mention several UTI infections) since I had my fourth (bivalent) covid booster in October 2022..

Also according to my Apple Watch my VO2max dropped from ‘above average’ for my age, which it had been since I got the watch - long time - it wasn’t something that bothered me other than I was impressed that at my age anything about me could be ‘above average’. Then during last year I realised the number was dropping and I went from ‘ average’ to ‘below average’. When I looked more closely at the figures I noticed they started to drop from mid October 2022 - when I had the bivalent vaccination. It felt quite worrying but very recently it seems to be starting to climb again which is good but I am still ‘below average’ - so I’m hopeful that it will continue to rise

[Wua13262348]

Physical attraction to your mate is supposed to be about "Pheromones". You can google it. I am hypo, but my thyroid genetics are geared to Graves. I have the double mutations in about 3 areas to do with dodgy signalling. If I develop antibodies they are likely to be TRab, graves, hyperthyroidism. Neither parent was aware of having a thyroid problem. It is accepted that a very high proportion of thyroid sufferers inherit the condition , genetically. It only requires one parent to pass it down, let alone two.

I do believe that my parents were attracted to one another because they sensed they were similar genetically, but by the pheramone route, which they would have been totally oblivious to. A case of something about the other person that they instinctively liked, without knowing why. This is the opposite of "opposites attract , similar repels".

They subconsciously recognise a kindred spirit with similar genetics to themselves, most likely through sweat. Boy, does this back-fire!

[Wua13262348]

I have already replied to your post, but have been giving your post some thought. So this theory not based on anything I've read or researched.

It suddenly occurred to me that married couples of long standing , through the act of kissing etc., exchange bodily fluids. DNA testing can be done with saliva testing. When kissing, you are exchanging saliva. What is confirmed and accepted in medical circles is that epstein-barr virus/glandular fever/ mononucleosis is also known as "Kissing Disease", as it is commonly passed on through kissing.

So the THEORY I have only just come up with is that perhaps couples pass their DNA from one to the other and that may be a plausible explanation ??????????

Edit:Also , most people do have epstein -barr virus which after they have recovered from it, lies dormant in their system, but can reactivate, probably if run -down or stressed. A Polish study on hypo and hyper thyroid proved that , I think , at least 70% had epstein-barr virus in their thyroids. So, theoretically, if you are passing epstein -barr from one in the couple to the other, one member of the couple could get a thyroid problem triggered by epstein -barr virus.

[Kari55 in reply to Wua13262348]

Very interesting! I bet he gave it to me! 🤣

[Wua13262348]

See :palomahealth.com/learn/epstein-barr-virus-thyroid. A very interesting and illuminating read! Of course it was him, bound to be!