Inside Missy Elliott’s Battle With Graves' Disease

Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott isn't one to let obstacles stand in her way. She proved that early on in her career by breaking into a male-dominated industry with her 1997 debut album Supa Dupa Fly, and she proved it again when she met a scary health diagnosis with remarkable resolve in 2008. As the Grammy-winning artist becomes the first female rapper to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, let's take a closer look at her battle with Graves' disease and how she's managed to cope with her chronic illness over the years.

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Is Missy Elliott sick?

Missy Elliot has a chronic health condition known as Graves’ disease. The rapper was diagnosed with the autoimmune disorder, which "leads to a generalized overactivity of the entire thyroid gland,” back in 2008. Because of the nature of the autoimmune disease, Elliott faces a number of side effects that impact her health. Elliott opened up about these side effects in a 2015 profile in Billboard. “It causes hair loss, your eyes bulge,” she explained. “My blood pressure was always up from just overworking.”

What's wrong with Missy Elliott?

Missy Elliott has been battling the autoimmune disorder Graves’ disease for at least 15 years. She was diagnosed in 2008 after tremors (a symptom of the disease) nearly caused her to have a car accident.

“I was trying to put my foot on the brake, but my leg was jumping," Elliott revealed in a 2011 interview with The Guardian. "I couldn’t keep the brake down and almost crashed."

Elliott's symptoms eventually led to her stepping away from the spotlight for some time after her meteoric rise to fame in the late ‘90s/early '00s. “I couldn’t write because my nervous system was so bad," she further explained.

Speaking with Good Morning America, she admitted that the struggle made her feel extremely low at times. “I remember Monica coming to the house one day, and I couldn't even hold a pencil," she said. "She wrote the lyrics out for me…I felt helpless.”

What disease does Missy Elliott have?

Chart-topping rapper Missy Elliott has the autoimmune disorder Graves’ disease. Graves’ disease causes an overproduction of thyroid hormones as the immune system attacks the thyroid gland. This can lead to a variety of life-impacting symptoms, including weight loss (even with normal eating habits), frequent bowel movements, anxiety, sleep problems, fatigue, sweating, sensitivity to heat, brittle hair and bones, menstrual irregularities, hand and body tremors, bulging eyes and heart palpitations.

At this time, specialists have not uncovered what causes previously healthy individuals to develop Graves’ disease.

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Why did Missy Elliott lose so much weight?

Elliott’s rapid weight loss was in part a result of her battle with Graves’ disease, which can cause sufferers to lose large amounts of weight.

Rapper-dancer Sharaya J, a close friend and protege of Elliott’s who began working with the rapper around the time of her diagnosis, recalled in an interview with Billboard that it "started to change [Elliott's] way of life."

"There were physical changes, extreme headaches, extreme weight loss," she said. "What that does to a person, being a public figure and knowing people are looking, judging? That’s a tough thing.”

In the years since her diagnosis, Elliott has taken her health into her own hands by making strides to lead a healthy lifestyle that includes exercising and eating well. In a 2018 Instagram post, she detailed some of the dietary choices she has made, including drinking more water and cutting out juices and soda.

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Is Missy Elliott's Graves' disease curable?

As of this writing, there is no cure for Graves’ disease. However, there are treatments available to help those suffering from the disease, including anti-thyroid medication to ease the overproduction of thyroid hormones, beta blockers and/or radioactive iodine taken orally. Surgery is also an option to treat Graves’ disease; however, it does come with the risk of permanent hoarseness, which might make it an undesirable option for someone like Elliott, who makes a living with her voice.

Those who have Graves’ disease can potentially ease their symptoms by eating well, exercising and minimizing stress in their lives.

Elliott discussed in 2018 how she manages her Graves’ disease. “I was on medication for a short while but have been off it for quite some time now. I manage the condition through diet and exercise."

Next, Inside Toby Keith's Health Battle and Stomach Cancer Treatment