newjerseynewsroom.com

BY MARGARET MORGAN

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Hip hop rap star, song writer and Grammy winner, Missy Elliott, revealed in an interview with People magazine this week that since 2008 she has been battling Graves’ disease. She has been off the music radar since as she underwent treatment to control her thyroid functions. She says, “'I'm 30 pounds lighter because I've been exercising. My thyroid is functioning, so I haven't had to take medication in about nine months.” She said she’s taking it easy and living a quieter life, which explains why she hasn’t been on tour in more than three years. But she insisted that it won't keep her down, and she is planning a comeback album with Timbaland due to be released in August.

What is this little known disease, Graves' disease? According to the Mayo Clinic, it is the most common form of hyperthyroidism, occurring when your immune system mistakenly attacks your thyroid gland and causes it to overproduce the hormone thyroxine. This higher thyroxine level can greatly increase your body's metabolic rate, which may affect you in numerous ways, from your moods to your physical appearance.

Symptoms can include hand and finger tremors, irritability, hair loss, weight loss, bulging eyes and an enlarged thyroid gland (the gland is a butterfly shaped gland surrounding to the trachea.

Diagnosing Graves’ disease can be complicated. My son, in his early 30’s, was diagnosed with Graves’ due to hand tremors and an enlarged thyroid gland. He was referred to a top endocrinologist at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, who recommended an MRI. Lacking medical insurance to cover the expensive MRI, he continued to pursue further medical expertise. His current primary physician took the appropriate blood tests for determining his levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), did a biopsy and an ultra-sound on the thyroid gland and determined he did not have Graves’ disease. However, since thyroid disease is hereditary in my family and as a preventative, he and my family will always monitor the thyroid by having annual blood test and exams.

Graves' disease is rarely life-threatening. Although it may develop at any age and in either men or women, Graves' disease is more common in women and usually begins after age 20. Though the cause of Graves' disease is unknown, researchers believe a combination of factors may determine your likelihood of developing Graves' disease, such as: hereditary — a family history of the disease; sex — women are seven times more likely to develop Graves' disease than men; age -Graves' disease usually develops after age 20, and stress.

There is no way to stop your immune system from attacking your thyroid gland, but treatments for Graves' disease can ease symptoms and decrease the production of thyroxine. Treatments include: beta blockers that block some of the action of the thyroid hormone or anti-thyroid medications, prescription medications that prevent your thyroid from producing excessive amounts of hormones. Typically, treatment with anti-thyroid medications continues for at least a year. For some people with Graves' disease, treatment with anti-thyroid medications for one to two years causes a long-term remission of the disease.

Another treatment is radioactive iodine treatment (believed to have been used by Elliott). To make thyroid hormone, your body needs iodine and uses whatever form of iodine is available in your blood. When you take radioactive iodine, the iodine collects in your thyroid gland, and over time the radioactivity destroys the overactive thyroid cells. This causes your thyroid gland to shrink, and problems lessen gradually, usually over several weeks to several months.

Because this treatment causes thyroid activity to decline, you'll likely later need thyroxine treatment to supply your body with normal amounts of thyroid hormones. Treatment doesn't require a hospital stay.