Kübra Kaplan Kasar, Orhan Kasar
Intercontinental Journal of Internal Medicine - 2025;3(4):85-87
Graves' disease is an autoimmune thyroid disorder characterized by hyperthyroidism, diffuse goiter, and orbitopathy, and it rarely occurs during pregnancy. A 23-year-old woman presented to the emergency department at 20 weeks of her second pregnancy with complaints of palpitations, sweating, and fatigue. She had previously been diagnosed with hypothyroidism by her family physician and had been on levothyroxine therapy. She had also been followed with hypothyroidism during her first pregnancy. Evaluation revealed findings consistent with thyrotoxicosis and positive thyroid autoantibodies, leading to a diagnosis of Graves' disease. Propylthiouracil (PTU) therapy was initiated, and thyroid function was closely monitored throughout pregnancy. Both maternal and fetal outcomes were uneventful, and delivery occurred without complications. The development of Graves' disease during pregnancy in a patient previously diagnosed with hypothyroidism is exceedingly rare. This case highlights the clinical importance of the transition from hypothyroidism to Graves' hyperthyroidism during pregnancy.
