[elf]

#1074512

I think it means that this disease should be viewed as a syndrom – it can be controlled, but will never go away. Autoimmune diseases, once gotten, don’t disappear, but can be controlled. We’ve got anti-thyroid antibodies and there is no cure yet to get rid of them.

Drugs can control thyroid levels (treatable).

RAI and TT will result in hypothyroidism that needs to be controlled with thyroid hormone (treatable).

[Ski]

#1074513

Exactly right, elf. The point is that we are never cured of Graves’, because the antibodies do not go away after any of the treatments.

Right now we know of three components (thyroid, eye, skin), but the possibility exists that there are even more components we just haven’t quantified yet. The thyroid condition is the only life-threatening component, so once that is under control, the most destructive part of the disease is over with. The eye disease and skin condition can come along at any time, so we need to be aware of those, just in case.

[TaraPetit]

#1019843

What does incurable, but entirely treatable mean? I’ve never been 100% sure, but the opinion that I seem to run into is that every malady that happens because of Grave’s can be treated with a medicine, and won’t be a "problem" to me anymore.
Can anyone clarify what it really means?

TP

[TaraPetit]

#1074514

Re: the anti-thyroid antibodies, where are they in the body? Do they just wait around the thyroid until some trigger makes them start attacking again? Do they just circulate through the blood stream or "hang out" in the lymph nodes? I’m not trying to be obtuse, I’m just wondering?

TIA!

TP

[Bobbi]

#1074515

Antibodies circulate in the blood, and can be found in other bodily fluids. I’m not sure about their presence in the lymphatic system. But antibodies are extremely specific about their targets: they do not employ a shotgun approach but, rather, a surgically precise approach. Many of us also have antibodies for the eye muscles and lower leg tissues, as well. In that, you could talk "syndrome", but only very small percentage of the Graves’ population turns up with severe eye disease/pretibial myxedema. The vast majority of you will never experience them.

What each of us needs to expect is WELLNESS. We have been made ill by the excessive levels of thyroid hormone in the body. Successful treatments will eliminate that, or control it (in the case of the ATDs).

[elf]

#1074516

Antibodies are always in our blood, but healthy people have them within normal limits. Two tests for antibodies, TSI and TRab, will tell you how effective your ATD treatment is, in addition to free Ts. People in remission have TSI within healthy range.

If people have no thyroid, then the level of antibodies in their blood is less relevant, except for the eyes that could be bombarded with the same antibodies.

[Ski]

#1074517

Actually, it is believed that the antibodies for the thyroid are different from (but related to) the antibodies that attack the eyes, and also from the antibodies that attack the skin. As Bobbi said, they are a key to a specific lock. It’s not that there are one set of antibodies that can choose to attack where they like.

[Author]

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