Diagnosis
The diagnosis is usually not very difficult to make, since conspicuous concomitant symptoms such as orbitopathy usually occur additionally. After a detailed anamnesis, the thyroid gland can be examined more closely using various imaging techniques. In addition, a blood count should be taken.
Here hormone changes can be determined. Initially, it may not be possible to distinguish Graves’ disease completely from other diseases such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. However, since the progression of the disease is completely different in the end, it is possible to draw conclusions about the right disease at a later stage.
Graves’ disease is one of the autoimmune diseases of the thyroid gland. An autoimmune disease develops when our immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own cells. For this purpose, it forms antibodies that bind to specific antigens of the respective cells.
As a result, the regular organ function is disturbed and the thyroid gland is stimulated to produce more hormones in Graves’ disease. Two main antibodies are used to diagnose Graves’ disease: 1. TRAK stands for TSH receptor antibody.
A value of more than 2 IU/L indicates that Graves’ disease is most likely in the acute stage. In rare cases, TRAK may also be elevated in another autoimmune thyroid disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. 2.
TPO antibodies are directed against a hormone producing enzyme of the thyroid gland. In about 60% of cases, an increase of antibodies to over 35 U/ml can be measured in the acute phase. Values below this level should be considered physiological.
The exact limits differ depending on the laboratory. Antibodies against thyroglobulin (Tg-AK) play no role in the diagnosis of Graves’ disease.
- TRAK and
- TPO-AK.
Graves’ disease is one of the autoimmune diseases of the thyroid gland.
An autoimmune disease develops when our immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own cells. For this purpose, it forms antibodies that bind to specific antigens of the respective cells. As a result, the regular organ function is disturbed and the thyroid gland is stimulated to produce more hormones in Graves’ disease.
Two main antibodies are used to diagnose Graves’ disease: TRAK and TPO-AK. TRAK stands for TSH receptor antibody. A value of more than 2 IU/L indicates that Graves’ disease is most likely in the acute stage.
In rare cases, TRAK may also be elevated in another autoimmune thyroid disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.TPO antibodies are directed against a hormone producing enzyme of the thyroid gland. In about 60% of the cases, an increase of antibodies to over 35 U/ml can be measured in the acute phase. Values below this level should be considered physiological. The exact limits differ depending on the laboratory. Antibodies against thyroglobulin (Tg-AK) play no role in the diagnosis of Graves’ disease.
