Understanding Graves' Disease -- Symptoms

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors
Medically Reviewed by Kecia Gaither, MD, MPH on April 11, 2025

The symptoms of Graves' disease include:

  • Weight loss despite increased appetite
  • Faster heart rate, higher blood pressure, and increased nervousness
  • Excessive perspiration
  • Increased sensitivity to heat
  • More frequent bowel movements
  • Muscle weakness, trembling hands
  • Development of a goiter (enlargement of the thyroid gland, causing a swelling at the base of the neck).
  • Bulging eyes
  • Reddish, thickened, and lumpy skin in front of the shins
  • In women, a change in frequency or total cessation of menstrual periods

You are feverish, agitated, or delirious, and have a rapid pulse. You could be having a thyrotoxic crisis, in which the effects of too much thyroid hormone suddenly become life-threatening.

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