Is Graves Disease Life Threatening?

The other day I read an article about Barbara Bush having a relapse of Graves’ Disease.  In this article, it stated that Graves’ Disease isn’t life threatening.  You can read the article by Clicking Here.  This might cause some confusion, as there have been times when I have mentioned that this autoimmune thyroid disorder can be life threatening.  So who is right, the reporter from ABC News, or myself?

Well, the truth is that most of the time Graves’ Disease is not life threatening.  But if left untreated, the symptoms can become severe.  This is especially true with regards to the pulse rate, as it can get quite high, which puts a lot of strain on the heart.  Over time, this can lead to serious problems, and in rare cases, death.  Don’t take my word for it, as you can simply visit Google, Bing, or whatever your favorite search engine is, and type in the words “Is Graves’ Disease Life Threatening?”.  Upon doing this, you’ll see plenty of articles, some with research that shows that this condition can indeed become life threatening.

Now of course there are other things that factor into this, such as the overall health of the individual who has Graves’ Disease.  Someone who is in excellent health might be able to get away without treating Graves’ Disease for a prolonged period of time, although I still wouldn’t recommend this.  On the other hand, a person who is in a poor state of health has a much greater risk of having complications by not receiving treatment.  And yes, one of the complications very well could be death!

In summary, Graves’ Disease usually isn’t life threatening in most individuals, especially those who receive some form of treatment, whether it’s anti-thyroid drugs, radioactive iodine, or natural treatment methods.  But for those who choose not to treat it, this can definitely be risky, and because of this I highly recommend that you consult with an endocrinologist or natural endocrine doctor and receive treatment right away, rather than play games with your health.

One thing the article does get right is that it states that “Medication can cause long-term remission of the disease but relapse is fairly common, according to the Mayo Clinic”.  This relates to the post I made recently about whether or not autoimmune thyroid disorders can be cured through natural treatment methods.  While the anti-thyroid drugs sometimes can put Graves’ Disease into a state of remission, since it doesn’t get to the cause of the disorder, a relapse is highly likely.  As for natural treatment methods, one can also suffer a relapse when following a natural treatment protocol if they go back to their old habits of neglecting their health, including eating junk food all the time, not sleeping at least 7 to 8 hours each night, not managing stress well, etc.  So the key is to not only restore your health back to normal, but to continue to maintain your health as well.