Medical Minute: Graves’ Disease

Wendy Williams

Fans of talk show queen Wendy Williams were shocked by her emaciated appearance in paparazzi photos that surfaced on Wednesday.

In an interview in 2009 Wendy revealed she was diagnosed with the autoimmune disorder Graves' disease.

Graves' Disease causes the immune system to attack the thyroid, a butterfly-shaped gland at the base of the neck that secretes thyroid hormone thyroxine, which helps regulate the body's metabolism, heart rate, and muscle control.

Graves' disease can cause drastic weight loss because it accelerates the body's metabolism and causes weight loss even when a person overeats.

Graves' disease is the main cause of hyperthyroidism (overproduction of thyroid hormones).

Graves Disease

Signs and Symptoms of Graves' Disease

  • Feeling tired all the time

  • High blood pressure

  • Unintended weight loss

  • Irregular heartbeat, heart palpitations

  • Excessive sweating

  • Heat intolerance

  • Fine, thin hair

  • Hair loss

  • Goiter in neck

  • Bulging eyes

  • Muscle wasting

  • Hand tremors, hands shaking

  • Anxiety

  • Irritability

    • Consult your doctor or health practitioner if you experience any of these signs and symptoms.

    Treatment

    Treatment includes anti-thyroid medications, Radioactive iodine therapy (to destroy the thyroid), and/or surgery to remove the thyroid gland

    This has been your Medical Minute.

    More Info On the Web

    Graves' Disease -- Thyroid.org

    Graves' Disease -- Mayo Clinic

    What is Graves' Disease -- Mayo Clinic

    Graves' Disease -- Healthline

    Photo by RTimages / Splash News

    • Benita Renee’

      Is that Wendy Williams??? WOW!

    • imright

      Wendy's weight loss isn't a surprise she's been looking boney on her show for at least a year now.?? Wendy loves the attn her weight loss gets her, she calls it "skinny shaming" & shes proud and laughs about it, blames it on being a Vegan. I think she's back getting high. Some days on her show she's out of it & her demeanor just screams "in high" or "was high recently" ????? I like her show tho.

    • You Could Never

      OMG. Get better Wendy. I aint know she looked like this.

    • ramosyo

      TranniesRus

    • Jen_no_juice

      I guess I'll wait for any open post to talk about Greenleaf cause I got nothing for this one

    • Renee26

      I'm more concerned with that part in her wig

    • Skin Deep Beauty

      Wait a minute IS THAT REALLY WENDY WILLIAMS?. I THOUGHT THAT WAS FERGIE!

    • WutizaGRANNY!

      Hmmm.. sick huh.. okay we will know the truf soon enough when she keeps losing and its waaay beyond vegan weight loss...

    • Renee26

      DEAD

    • Nancy Drew-Natural & Luv’n It!

      hope she's not ill and wasting away. we still know that if she saw someone else looking like this, SHE would be floating rumors that they were 'on something' ...."is she high?"

    • Quitedeliteful

      I didn't even recognize her. This doesn't look like her at all. Where are those big bazookas she calls breasts? This woman is flat-chested compared to Wendy Williams...

    • unknown user

      I'll take booger sugar for 200 Alex

    • Quitedeliteful

      LOLLOLLOL!!!!!! You know she's a crafter. Maybe she made this one herself...

    • Mark mcharm

      So now we are blaming old age and saggy plastic surgery on graves disease .

    • Skin Deep Beauty

      WTF IS GOING ON.. THAT AINT WENDY... COME ON NOW! SOMEBODY TRYNA OFF HER.....her husband is behind this atrocity! He must be PLOTTING TO KENDU AND Upgrade to a new chic so he and Lil Kev can run rampant with other women AND HER MONEY...

    • Skin Deep Beauty

      Me EITHER.... THEY DONE PUT A ROOT ON HER!

    • Mark mcharm

      Wendy williams is a crackhead and probably started using again or needs a surgery touch up.

    • Jennifer

      Missy Elliot has this as well. It's the cause of her first major weight drop years ago. Wendy looks like an old, Long Island Jew who over tans. She's gotta have gum in her mouth with that look.

    • stav

      You know you are so wrong, but so right for that!

    • stav

      So wrong, ROFL!

    • Renee26

      I see those boobs...they didn't lose weight LOL

    • MsPam

      She looks like Aretha Franklin in that picture!

    • Renee26

      IJS...she has enough money to buy decent wigs no matter if she sick or high. There's no excuse for that

    • Renee26

      Yeah it looks like a hot glue gun made wig

    • stav

      True that! Especially when she's always coming for someone else!

    • stav

      Hysterical, and True!

    • Renee26

      Whew chiiiille!!

    • Renee26

      who Charlimaine aka Charmaine and nem??

    • Jen_no_juice

      Girlllll Zora is a mess

    • Rayne

      Looks like Whitney Houston is getting her pay back. ??

    • Allergic2dumbstuff

      It may be the vegan diet, but Wendy looks anorexic-ish, like Amal and Angelina. imo

    • KcoolMuziq

      I'll NEVER forgive her on what she said about my musical idol after his sudden passing and Janet Jackson. Although I don't wish her dead,

    • Quitedeliteful

      You sure them flotation devices are still intact -- because that is the only way we can truly identify her! LOLLOLLOL!!!!!!!!!!

    • Quitedeliteful

      Could very well be back on that whack crack....

    • kekeb

      I think that's just a bad picture. Either way, I hope she is well

    • freelancepimp .

      She said some nasty about a lot of people. I remember when she was saying some awful stuff about Serena a few years back. Don't want her to die but it's hard to care about some people.

    • Yardgirl

      LMAO that face is her but the picture is photoshopper because Wendy still has her ginormous chesticles!!

    • LibraGirlonly

      I had Graves' disease and I lost so much weight that folks were whispering behind my back.

    • Luv Pitties

      I'll never forget when Whitney gathered her together. When Whitney passed others were playing her music I played that interview.

    • http://batman-news.com Roderick2011

      Nah it's that coke she used to do catching up with her.

    • Justlooknout

      Had? I didn't think there was/is a cure. Just treatable.

    • Quitedeliteful

      LOLLOLLOL!!!!!!!!!!

    • Lisa daniels

      I don't believe you. She back on that white girl.

    • SouthernGirlAZWorld

      Lol

    • SouthernGirlAZWorld

      She said Amal

    • Karen Brady

      I'll pray for you either way Wendy and is that a candy Chanel necklace? It's cute.

    • Zeta Phi Beta 1920

      That up close face pic does look bad.
      Be safe Wendy.

    • Music

      She's also vegan-ish(her words not mine). Not saying that all vegans are skinny, but her diet change could also be playing a role in her weight loss.

    • Lovely1

      Omg. Will definitely be praying for her.

    • cheechee1x1

      LOL!!!!

    • Lady Elle

      For a minute I didn't even recognize who she was...

    • Cricket404

      Poor thing, I have 3 girlfriends with Graves. One had surgery to remove parathyroid and the snipped everything, she now takes 5000mg of calcium a day. Usually hereditary for AA women and men.

    • Phyllis

      THANks for the medical minute AUntie. THey are always very informative. I discovered I had an overactive thyroid back in 2000. I chose to do the radioactive iodine therapy to get rid of the goiter in my throat. I do Experience some of those symptoms as far as sleepiness, anxiety, and bulging eyes. But I go to my doctor every 3 month to make sure my dosage for my meds are alright .

    • pure_rachet

      We all know this pic is not Wendy. It's clearly LaToya Jackson

    • Karen Brady

      These auto immuine diseases are no joke and they hit AA's heavy.

    • Yetunde

      So did I!

    • sherri2016

      My sister has Graves disease and doesn't look gaunt like that she just has huge eyes but Wendy on something hard

    • Minkie Babie

      Wendy's back on drugs

    • dontgetblocked

      Auto immune diseases are rough. Also she's had an eating disorder for years or at least since she's been on TV.

    • ZRoJoTheLezBeyond

      That's who I thought it was.

    • ZRoJoTheLezBeyond

      That doesn't look like Wendy Williams to me. I agreed with another poster on here that it appears to be Latoya Jackson in this pic.

      The boobs not big enough to be Wendy Williams. Even if she lost a ton of weight, her ta-ta's would still be gigantic as they are artificial.

    • Faithz

      Lord have Mercy, all this old adulterated food we have to eat
      hang in there girl, and try and take care of yourself.

    • BacktolurkingIgo

      That's Ms. Heart don't lie.

    • http://ebonynsweet.com Ebony N’ Sweet

      You sure it wasn't her fake Boobs that's causing issues too?

    • KA

      Most people diagnosed with Graves Disease have a radioactive iodine uptake procedure which burns away most of the thyroid. Once you are HYPO thyroid after the procedure, you are put on a synthetic thyroid hormone replacement therapy. So the only way people with Graves lose weight is if it goes untreated. As someone diagnosed with Graves, I have a hard time losing weight, because a synthetic hormone can only regulate so much, and no one is sure of everything the thyroid gland impacts in the function of the body.

      Wendy is full of crap if she is trying to say she lost the weight due to Graves' disease after the fact. I lost a ton of weight before I was diagnosed, not after I was treated.

    • Let’s Play

      UH OH... I don't see a disclaimer stating "Pic is for illustrative purposes only" #worried

    • Lovers & Friends

      That’s not my Wendy. This poor lady looks to feminine to be Wendy.

    • Let’s Play

      stop it

    • Dahl

      I don't think this weight loss is due to her disease. She was fuller figured back in '09-'10. In fact, she said she weighed 169 pounds, which on a 5'11 frame is slim, but not gaunt. She recently dropped at least 30 pounds, so unless she has other diseases at work within, something without is wreaking havoc on her body...

    • XoXo

      God does not like ugly. And she has said some very ugly things about people.

    • ?Royalty?

      As someone with graves disease as well - I totally agree.

    • ?Royalty?

      Sometimes the disease goes into spontaneous remission. For a lucky few, it never returns.

    • Skin Deep Beauty

      Hail I thought it was Fergie

    • Dee

      Karma is catching up with this nasty piece of trash. Looking like a pale Katherine Jackson.

    • http://ivyleaguelove.tumblr.com/ Applebootay

      She is vegan

    • abby500

      Wendy is vegan and totally embraces her skinny body. She's not that thin, just built horribly.

    • FallenOne

      Looks like Cicely Tyson dressed down

    • Mrs Mary

      Who is this woman with Beyonce fingers and Latoya Jackson's face??? Is that you Wendy????

    • MRiGOThim

      DEAD...

    • MRiGOThim

      Maybe its that vegan diet she's on...

    • Justlooknout

      Okay, this makes sense. I had FSGS, it caused complete kidney failure.

    • itsjismemelly

      I really hope she gets better because she appears to be quite frail