Pathogenesis of Graves’ Ophthalmopathy

  • Rebecca S. Bahn
Chapter
Part of the Endocrine Updates book series (ENDO, volume 6)

Abstract

Graves’ disease is a relatively common disorder occurring primarily in women with an incidence of 1/1000 population/year (1). In addition to hyperthyroidism, 25–50% of individuals with Graves’ disease have clinical involvement of the eyes known as Graves’ ophthalmopathy (GO)(2). While some patients with GO experience only mild ocular discomfort, 3–5% of patients suffer from intense pain and inflammation with diplopia or even loss of vision. At present, GO is not preventable and therapeutic options for severe disease are limited. Recent insights into the pathogenesis of GO, reviewed here, have the potential to lead to new preventive and treatment strategies for this debilitating condition.

Keywords

Extraocular Muscle Thyrotropin Receptor Orbital Tissue Orbital Fibroblast TSHR mRNA 
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© Springer Science+Business Media New York 2000

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  • Rebecca S. Bahn

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