What is Graves’ disease? Actress Daisy Ridley reveals diagnosis

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Actress Daisy Ridley, known for her role as Rey Skywalker in the Star Wars universe and more recently as Trudy Ederle in Young Woman and the Sea, has opened up about being diagnosed with Graves’ disease.

“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 told Women’s Health Magazine.

Ridley had been experiencing “hot flashes and fatigue,” and went to see an endocrinologist. She also had other symptoms like a racing heart rate, weight loss and hand tremors. She was diagnosed in September 2023, the publication said.

Who else has spoken out about having Graves’ disease?

Lucia Stafford, a Canadian runner competing in athletics at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, was diagnosed with Graves’ disease in high school. The 25-year-old from London, Ont., spoke about it to Running Magazine in 2018.

“The symptoms are weight loss, anxiety, an elevated heart rate, asthma attacks and fatigue. I couldn’t finish workouts or hit prescribed paces. I felt terrible,” she told the publication.

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Stafford had her thyroid removed in November 2019. She was positive about her time off during her recovery.

“It actually turned out to be a nice break from competition,” she said. “I have to take a hormone tablet every day for the rest of my life, but my body is much more predictable than before. There shouldn’t be any surprises now.”

What is Graves’ disease?

Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disorder that leads to an overactive thyroid gland, or hyperthyroidism, according to a webpage about it on Mount Sinai Health System’s site. The thyroid gland releases hormones that control the metabolism, which is crucial for “regulating mood, weight, and mental and physical energy levels,” per Mount Sinai.

When an excess of the thyroid hormone is released, it can cause a wide variety of symptoms, like anxiety, problems sleeping, hair loss, muscle weakness in the hips and shoulders, frequent bowel movements, increased appetite (while losing weight), irregular periods for women, hand tremors, rapid or irregular heartbeat, intolerance to heat, and shortness of breath with activity.

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According to Mount Sinai, Graves disease is most common in women over age 20. But the disorder can occur at any age and can affect men as well.

It can also affect the eyes. According to nonprofit medical centre Cleveland Clinic, Graves’ disease can cause gritty, irritated eyes, puffiness, light sensitivity, pressure or pain in the eyes, and blurred vision. It can also lead to bulging eyes.

The disease itself was named for the Irish doctor Robert Graves who described the condition in the 1800s, per the Cleveland Clinic.

There are treatments available with medication or even surgery to help control symptoms. However, there is no cure, according to researchers at Yale Medicine.

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