Understanding Graves' Disease -- Symptoms

What Are the Symptoms of Graves' Disease?

The symptoms of Graves' disease include:

• Weight loss despite increased appetite
• Faster heart rate, higher blood pressure, and increased nervousness
• Excessive perspiration
• Increased sensitivity to heat
• More frequent bowel movements
• Muscle weakness, trembling hands
• Development of a goiter (enlargement of the thyroid gland, causing a swelling at the base of the neck).
• Bulging eyes
• Reddish, thickened, and lumpy skin in front of the shins
• In women, change in frequency or total cessation of menstrual periods

Call Your Doctor About Graves' Disease If:

You are feverish, agitated, or delirious, and have a rapid pulse. You could be having a thyrotoxic crisis, in which the effects of too much thyroid hormone suddenly become life-threatening.