Graves’ Disease

Your article (Aug. 2) about Gail Devers contains misleading statements about Graves’ disease, a condition that affects many people. The overactive thyroid of Graves’ disease does not cause the “skin to peel” or the feet to become “swollen and bloody,” as stated. The therapeutic doses of radioactive iodine given for Graves’ disease are not “massive”; they do not cause significant pain in the neck (as was stated in another Times article about Devers several weeks ago) and do not leave the patient “weakened and nauseated.” I suspect that Ms. Devers had another disorder that caused her foot problems.

Graves’ disease can be treated satisfactorily in most patients with medicine that has been used for over 40 years without resulting in a permanently underactive thyroid. The treatment with radioactive iodine is a more attractive alternative for many patients because it is easy to take as a single drink or capsule, but it results in an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) in a majority of patients. Hypothyroidism is treated by taking replacement thyroid hormone as a single pill once daily.

The remarkable accomplishment of Ms. Devers exemplifies that patients with Graves’ disease are restored to full health and vigor with current therapy.

JEROME M. HERSHMAN MD

President-elect, American Thyroid Assn.

Professor of Medicine

UCLA School of Medicine