Graves Disease Symptoms Battling Missy Elliot

Graves disease is an autoimmune disease that has the more common cause of hyperthyroidism. An autoimmune disease is when the body’s immune system (antibodies) attacks your body because it doesn’t recognize its own cells. The antibodies stimulate the thyroid (the gland at the base of your neck that secretes human growth hormone*) and causes the thyroid to become into overdrive (hyperthyroidism). Rapper/songwriter Missy Elliot is in the news after announcing she was diagnosed with Graves disease in 2008.

Graves disease is the more common cause of hyperthyroidism in children and adolescents. When the disease occurs later in life, they are assumed that the cause is an infection that has viral or bacterial. The signs and symptoms of Graves disease depend on whether the hyperthyroidism is mild or severe.

In Missy’s case, it sounds like her hyperthyroidism was severe enough to affect her neurologically. The major signs of Graves disease are an enlarged goiter (your neck will be

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