Star Wars actor Daisy Ridley says she has Graves’ disease. What is it?

Daisy Ridley arrives at the world premiere of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” in 2019 in Los Angeles. Ridley revealed in a recent Women’s Health magazine interview that she was diagnosed last year with Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disorder that affects the thyroid. Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, file Daisy Ridley, who starred as Rey in the latest “Star Wars” trilogy, revealed in a recent Women’s Health magazine interview that she has Graves’ disease.

The British actress said she was diagnosed in September 2023 after initially shrugging the symptoms off, thinking they were due to a high-stress acting role. The 32-year-old said she experienced hot flashes and fatigue before her diagnosis. She also experienced a racing heart rate, weight loss and hand tremors.

Here’s what to know about the disease. WHAT IS GRAVES’ DISEASE? The autoimmune disorder affects the thyroid, a butterfly-shaped endocrine gland in the lower front of the neck. The disease causes the body to make excessive amounts of thyroid hormone, which in normal amounts helps “the body use energy, stay warm and keep the brain, heart, muscles, and other organs working appropriately,” according to the American Thyroid Association.

It is named after Robert James Graves, a 19th-century Irish physician. WHAT CAUSES GRAVES’ DISEASE? The exact causes of Graves’ disease are not known. It involves a malfunction of the immune system, which is designed to fight viruses or harmful bacteria that invade .