Infections and stress play a part as well. Graves' disease may have its onset after an external stressor and has also been known to follow a viral infection or pregnancy. Although Graves' disease is not curable, it is a completely treatable disease. The primary treatment for Graves'disease is to control the overactive thyroid gland. There are three standard ways of treating Graves' disease but choice of treatment varies from country to country and physician to physician.
Treatment usually depends on factors such as age, degree of illness, and patient preference.
The first choice of treatment is with antithyroid drugs such as propylthiouracil and methimazole, which make it difficult for the thyroid to use iodine and thus hinder production of active thyroid hormone. The last treatment option is subtotal thyroidectomy, in which most of the thyroid gland is surgically removed and thus made also incapable of overproducing the hormone. Beta-blockers are used to treat symptoms including rapid heart rate, sweating, and anxiety until hyperthyroidism is controlled. Prednisone is often prescribed to relieve severe inflammation. The eye problems of Graves' disease usually resolve with treatment of the underlying disorder.