Graves' Disease Diagnosis

When diagnosing²⁰ Graves’ disease, healthcare providers usually evaluate your medical history, perform a physical assessment, and order one or more lab tests. Some testing used to diagnose Graves’ disease includes:

• Physical examination: Your healthcare provider will examine your eyes to see if they’re irritated or protruding (a common sign of Graves’ disease). He or she will also check to see whether your thyroid is enlarged. Because Graves’ disease increases your metabolic rate, your healthcare provider will likely also check your pulse and blood pressure.
• A blood sample: Blood tests can help determine your levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone and other thyroid hormones. Patients with Graves’ disease usually have lower levels of TSH and higher levels of thyroid hormones than normal. Another lab test that measures your TRAb but may be used to check for another cause for your hyperthyroidism (however, it cannot be used to diagnose Graves’ disease).
• Radioactive iodine uptake: This test determines the rate at which your thyroid gland takes up iodine, a substance necessary for the production of thyroid hormones. Your healthcare provider will give you a small amount of radioactive iodine and later measure the amount of it present in your thyroid gland with a specialized scanning camera. The amount of radioactive iodine taken up by the thyroid helps determine whether it is Graves’ disease or another condition that is causing your hyperthyroidism.
• Ultrasound: This test is most useful in people who can’t undergo radioactive iodine uptake, such as pregnant women. Ultrasounds use high-frequency sound waves to create images of the structures inside the body. These images can show whether the thyroid gland is enlarged.
• Imaging tests: This test can be used to diagnose Graves’ ophthalmopathy. If clinical assessments are not sufficient in diagnosing you with thyroid eye disease, your provider may order an imaging test like a CT scan: a specialized X-ray technology that produces thin cross-sectional images of body structures. Another option is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which uses magnetic fields and radio waves to create either cross-sectional or 3-D images.

Is Graves' disease fatal?

Graves’ disease is rarely life-threatening²¹. If left untreated, however, the condition can lead to a number of serious complications.

Most notably, Graves’ disease can lead to heart disorders (such as arrhythmias and changes in the structure and function of the heart muscles) as well as thyroid storm, a life-threatening increase in thyroid hormones that requires immediate emergency medical care.

Thyroid eye disease can also damage the eyes, leading to vision damage or loss in some severe cases.

It is essential that you receive treatment for Graves’ disease or Graves’ ophthalmopathy after being diagnosed. Doing so can help prevent you from developing serious health complications.