Daisy Ridley, 32, stunningly revealed this week that she has Graves’ disease.
The “Star Wars” actress shared that after experiencing hot flashes, a racing heart rate, weight loss and fatigue, she was diagnosed with the autoimmune disorder in September 2023.
Ridley admitted that the diagnosis was something of a shock as she initially assumed her symptoms were related to work stress. “I thought, ‘Well, I’ve just played a really stressful role; presumably that’s why I feel poorly,’” she told Women’s Health, referring to her role in the 2024 film “Magpie.”
Here’s a look at what causes Graves’ disease and how it’s treated.
What is Graves’ disease?
According to the Mayo Clinic, Graves’ disease affects the thyroid gland. The autoimmune condition causes the body to produce too much thyroid hormone, a condition called hyperthyroidism.
Thyroid hormones regulate metabolism, heart rate and body temperature.
Graves’ disease affects 2% to 3% of the global population and usually appears before age 30. Women, those with a family history of thyroid conditions, smokers and those with other immune system conditions, such as Type 1 diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis, are at higher risk of developing Graves’ disease.
Experts don’t know exactly what causes autoimmune diseases like Graves’. Something triggers the body’s immune system to overproduce an antibody called thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI). TSI attaches to healthy thyroid cells, causing the thyroid to overproduce thyroid hormones.
The condition is named after Robert Graves, an Irish doctor who first described it in the 1800s.
What are the symptoms of Graves’ disease?
Common symptoms of Graves’ disease include:
- Anxious and irritable feelings
- A slight tremor of the hands or fingers
- Increased sensitivity to heat
- Increased sweating or warm, moist skin.
- Weight loss
- Enlarged thyroid gland, also known as a goiter
- Menstrual cycle changes
- Erectile dysfunction or decreased sex drive
- Frequent bowel movements
- Bulging eyes — a condition called thyroid eye disease or Graves’ ophthalmopathy
- Fatigue
- Thick, discolored skin mostly on the shins or tops of the feet, called Graves’ dermopathy
- Fast or irregular heartbeat, called palpitations
- Difficulty sleeping
These symptoms are consistent with Ridley’s experience.
“It was funny, I was like, ‘Oh, I just thought I was annoyed at the world,’ but turns out everything is functioning so quickly, you can’t chill out,” she recalled to Women’s Health.
Ridley said her doctor described the condition as “tired but wired.”
Graves’ ophthalmopathy or thyroid eye disease
Thyroid eye disease, also known as Graves’ ophthalmopathy, affects roughly 25% of Graves’ sufferers. Symptoms may include:
- Bulging eyes
- A gritty feeling in the eyes
- Pain or pressure in the eyes
- Puffy or retracted eyelids
- Red or inflamed eyes
- Light sensitivity
- Blurred or double vision
- Loss of vision
Is Graves’ disease dangerous?
The consequences of Graves’ disease can be…grave.
Left untreated, Graves’ disease can lead to arrhythmia, increasing the risk of heart failure. Similarly, untreated hyperthyroidism can cause osteoporosis.
In pregnant women, Graves’ disease can cause preeclampsia and high blood pressure as well as miscarriage, early birth, poor fetal growth or fetal thyroid issues.
A rare but life-threatening complication of Graves’ disease is a thyroid storm, also known as accelerated hyperthyroidism or thyrotoxic crisis.
A thyroid storm is caused by a sudden and severe spike in thyroid hormones that results in fever, sweating, delirium, weakness, tremors, irregular heartbeat, severe low blood pressure and coma.
Graves’ is a lifelong condition but, if properly treated, does not affect lifespan.
How is Graves’ disease treated?
Graves’ disease is diagnosed via thyroid blood test, doppler ultrasound and a thyroid uptake and scan.
Graves’ is treated with beta-blockers, anti-thyroid medications that block the body’s production of thyroid hormone, radioiodine therapy that reduces the size of the thyroid, and, in some cases, a thyroidectomy, a surgery that removes all or part of the thyroid gland.
Ridley has not specified her treatment plan, but she did report that following her diagnosis, she overhauled her lifestyle with a slew of health changes, including cryotherapy and acupuncture.
Notable people with Graves’ disease
Ridley is not alone in her struggle. Rapper Missy Elliott, talk show host Wendy Williams and the late President George H.W. Bush have been diagnosed with the disease.
