[Ski]

#1074267

Hi Pinky,

There are two ways Graves’ affects us ~ one is through the attack of antibodies, and the other is through the damage caused by hyperthyroidism. The antibodies, as far as we know today, affect three areas of the body (and, to be absolutely clear, they are three different antibodies, though apparently related, since they occur together), which are the thyroid, the muscles/fat surrounding the eyes, and the skin on our shins.

The damage caused by hyperthyroidism can be far more widespread in the body, since thyroid hormone is literally the fuel that keeps our cells going, and every minute that we are hyperthyroid is like being in a car with a brick on the gas pedal. Things start to break down under those conditions. That means that any place in the body CAN be affected by hyperthyroidism, and extended periods of hyperthyroidism cause the most damage (for instance, the time between symptom onset and correct diagnosis, which for some people extended for many years).

As far as the heart goes, there are two ways hyperthyroidism can affect it. First, when we are hyperthyroid, the electrical impulses in the heart can go haywire and create wacky heart rhythms, which can send the heart into a "tailspin" and sometimes the patient does not recover. This effect is one reason we are put on beta blockers when we are first diagnosed ~ it keeps those rhythms from occurring. Secondly, when we are hyperthyroid, we experience "muscle wasting," and the heart IS a muscle, so some people do experience heart damage.

Now, as for other body systems/organs that can be affected, as I said, it’s literally possible for anything in your body to be affected by the hyperthyroidism. I would suppose (this is completely opinion) that places in our body with prior trauma or those that have been weakened due to other causes would be more likely to suffer. We can experience bone loss and muscle loss as a result of hyperthyroidism, those are pretty common. I haven’t heard any widespread stories of other areas/organs being affected, but keep in mind, for yourself, areas in your body that may be vulnerable, and make sure you do what you can to protect those areas or keep an eye on their function/health (with your doctor’s help).

[Pinky]

#1019819

I have heard that the eyes, fronts of calves and of course, thyroid gland are affected by graves. Some of the articles I’ve read go as far to say there is much uncertainty as to the extent of other organs affected by graves, since there is little research done on it.But they suggest heart tissue may also be affected. Can you shed some light on the other organs that may be affected by graves?

[Buttamama28]

#1074268

As a sufferer of tachycardia, I can say I don’t really know what the prolonged damage is but there has to be something. When I was first diagnosed with it the first thing I did was quit smoking..But, other than that; I don’t miss a dose of my Propanolol (I am currently at 80 mg daily).

[DianneW]

#1074269

Buttamama, it’s really good that you quit smoking, as that (along with normalizing thyroid levels) has been shown to reduce the risk of severe thyroid eye disease, as well as the other well-known health effects. As for any effects hyperthyroidism has on the heart, it takes time to heal from these, and thyroid hormone levels need to be stable before healing can begin. In the meantime your Propranolol will help protect your heart, so you’re wise to take it faithfully as you do.

[Phylis]

#1074270

Recently learned of several kidney stones, coud this be the result of my Graves?

[Kimberly]

#1074271

Hi Phylis – I’ve never seen any research linking kidney stones and Graves’. However, I know we had one poster here a couple of years ago who had major issues with kidney stones. You might try the “Search Posts” function in the top right-hand corner of the screen and do a search for “kidney” to see if you can find her old posts.

Take care — I sure hope you can get some relief soon!

[snelsen]

#1074272

To buttamama-Tachycardia (tachy means fast)A fast heart rate (classified as over 100 bpm (beats per minute,) is not a good thing. Heart rates of 150+ are life threatening over a period of time (and they usually get faster, cause something is big time wrong._To have a fast heart rate over a long period of time is really hard on a heart.
But for a simple explanation, the ventricles are designed to beat in humans between around 60-80 bpm. This can be affected by exercise, and the rate may be slower. The heart is run by electrical impulses, and maybe the best way to think of it, to think of an overload circuit breaker, and all the damage it can cause.
There are a ton of different kinds of tachycardia, but it requires more of a fund of knowledge that is needed. If you take a CPR class, or probably an advanced cardiac life support class, you’d learn about ventricular tachcardia, ventricular .fibrillation, and much more. V-tach is a fatal rhythm if not treated.
Kimberly’s post on this is very good.
To Phyllis-well, there are a whole lot of people who have kidney stones who don’t have Graves’, I can assure you of that! Good question for your doc, but I think there is no relationship.
I worked on urology for years. BUT, I am sure sorry you have them, and the pain that can be experienced with them is known as one of the worst pain there is (along with several others.) I hope you get that situation resolved.
Shirley

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