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Nutrition and Supplements in Thyroid Eye Disease

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Thyroid Eye Disease

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Abstract

In the majority of patients, Graves’ orbitopathy (GO) is characterized by a mild ocular involvement and it is treated with local measure (artificial tears, ointments, sun glasses). However, a substantial proportion of patients with mild GO still experience ocular discomfort and suffer from a significant decrease in quality of life (QoL).

Supplements represent a well tolerated, safe and widely available treatment that could be beneficial in these patients. Oxidative stress has been shown to have a pathogenetic role in Graves’ disease (GD) and in thyroid associated eye disease. Therefore, Selenium, a trace mineral, which is incorporated into several selenoproteins, for its antioxidant and immunomodulating effect, represents a therapeutic option for patients with mild GO.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in patients with mild GO has shown that a 6-month course of selenium is associated with a statistically significant improvement of ocular involvement and quality of life compared with patients treated with placebo. A significant decrease in progression of the eye disease has also been reported after treatment with selenium. The favourable effect of selenium supplementation persisted in the 6-month follow up after withdrawal of treatment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Paradisa 2, Pisa, 56124, Italy

    Claudio Marcocci & Francesca Menconi

Authors
  1. Claudio Marcocci
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  2. Francesca Menconi
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Correspondence to Claudio Marcocci .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Eye Plastic, Orbital, and Facial Cosmetic Surgery, Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

    Raymond S. Douglas

  2. Division of Eye Plastic, Orbital, and Facial Cosmetic Surgery, Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

    Allison N. McCoy

  3. Division of Eye Plastic, Orbital, and Facial Cosmetic Surgery, Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

    Shivani Gupta

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Marcocci, C., Menconi, F. (2015). Nutrition and Supplements in Thyroid Eye Disease. In: Douglas, R., McCoy, A., Gupta, S. (eds) Thyroid Eye Disease. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1746-4_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1746-4_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-1745-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-1746-4

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