EXTRINSIC EYE MUSCLE IMPAIRMENT IN BASEDOW’S DISEASE: A BRIEF REVIEW ON MOLECULAR MECHANISMS

V. Candotto¹ and P. Carls²

¹Lecturer, Dental School, Albanian University, Tirana, Albania;
²Consultant Oral-Maxillofacial Surgeon, 69 Banbury Road, Oxford, UK

Correspondence to:
Valentina Candotto, MD
Lecturer, Dental School,
Albanian University, Tirana, Albania
e-mail: candottovalentina@gmail.com

Received: 18 December 2023 Accepted: 15 January 2023

ISSN: 2038-4106 Biolife-Publisher.it © 2023 This publication and/or article is for individual use only and may not be further reproduced without written permission from the copyright holder. Unauthorized reproduction may result in financial and other penalties. Disclosure: All authors report no conflicts of interest relevant to this article

ABSTRACT

The thyroid gland is the main target of Basedow’s disease or Graves’ disease (GD), an autoimmune condition. It is the most typical cause of hyperthyroidism and affects people of all ages, notably fertile women. A brief review has been conducted to consider the impairment of eye muscles in Basedow’s disease. A search operation was performed using PubMed, Science Direct and Research Gate databases. Some relevant articles were also collected from Google Scholars as well. Although thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy is an autoimmune disorder, the exact cause of the condition is unknown. GD links genetic variables with immune system dysregulation and the interplay between genetic and environmental factors. The pathophysiology of the disease involves autoimmune responses to suspected thyroid and orbital antigens. As a result, extraocular muscles, orbital connective tissues, and fat tissues have larger volumes. 

KEYWORDS: Basedow’s disease, eye muscle, hyperthyroidism, exophthalmos, immune system dysregulation