How common is an autoimmune problem that results in some form of hyperthyroidism?
This condition is not common. About 10 percent of the population inherits an immune system that can make problems for the thyroid and only one in ten of these will ever have a problem. Just what causes this problem in the immune system to occur? It is believed that the environment somehow makes the immune system go haywire. The disease does seem to run in families, but science does not know why. In general, understanding autoimmune diseases is an issue that researchers focusing on extensively. How does the environment make the immune system go wrong? The jury is still out on this one. Severe emotional stress is the most commonly suspected culprit, but it is possible for someone to develop the disease without experiencing this stress. Still, reducing stress in life is always a healthy idea. Other factors the can trigger Grave’s disease are smoking, radiation to the neck, medications (such as interleuken-2 and interferon-alpha), and infectious organisms such as viruses. How can I recogni
