19. While a diagnosis of Graves' disease is often tentatively made following a thorough physical examination and exploration of a patient's medical history, what type of test can ultimately confirm it?
From Quiz Oh, My Thyroid!
Answer:
Blood
Depending on one's symptoms, which may be many or very few, a diagnosis of Graves' disease can be tentatively made by general practitioners. However it is only by measuring the levels of thyroid-stimulating antibody present in a patient's blood that a physician can confirm that the reason behind their patient's hyperthyroidism is Graves' disease. Unfortunately for many, their condition may go undiagnosed for some time, due to the fact that many of the symptoms of Graves' disease, such as sweating, tremors, weakness, diarrhoea and palpitations often mimic other conditions, such as gastroenteritis and even menopause.