Just a note of explanation here. When the good Dr. Graves’, in 1835, identified the disease which we all know and loathe , one of the characteristics he found was the eye disease. For almost a century, the eye disease was called Graves’ Eye Disease, or Graves’ Ophthalmopathy. On some of the good web sites, even today, the eye problems (blurriness, double vision, exophthalmos) are given as definitive symptoms of Graves’. But one of the aspects of science that can be confusing is that as researchers gain more information, they tend to redefine their terms or definitions, and recently that has happened with regard to the eye disease. Because researchers found the eye disease in patients who were euthyroid, or hypothyroid, without goiter, etc., the terminology by which they call the problem is changing. Some researchers now call the problem Thyroid Associated Ophthalmopathy. Others call it Disthyroid Orbitopathy. This distinction does help researchers to point themselves in appropriate directions, looking for a treatment/cure. But to misquote the bard, a skunk cabbage by any other name…….
The following, “current” information — (taken from an information sheet sent to me by Dr. Wall’s research group): “Dysthyroid orbitopathy has a close relationship to Graves’ thyroid disease…. 80% of patients with the eye findings have over-active thyroid glands, 10% have under-active thyroids and the remaining 10% have normal thyroid hormone levels and no symptoms. On special testing most of these people with normal thyroid function have subtle laboratory abnormalities.” So the vast majority of people with the eye disease have Graves. Having Graves’ does not mean that we WILL get it (but we knew that before),. but we are the population for whom the disease is most likely; we are most “at risk”. So, if we are taking a “vote” on whether infomration about this part of the problem should be included in the national campaign, my vote is “you betcha”.
Bobbi — Bobbi1436@AOL.com
