Essay On Hyperthyroidism

1547 Words4 Pages

The thyroid is one of the most essential glands in the body. It is located in the endocrine system, and sits right in the neck just above where the collar bones meet. The thyroid gland functions to produce hormones that control how every cell in the body utilizes energy, also known as a process called metabolism. When a person's thyroid abnormally produces an excessive amount of thyroid hormones, this is a condition referred to as hyperthyroidism. The causes of hyperthyroidism are known to include: eating too much food with iodine, graves disease, inflammation due to viral infections, tumors of the testes and ovaries, taking a large amount of thyroid hormone, receiving medical imaging tests consisting of contrast dye iodine, and growth of thyroid or pituitary gland (Board "Hyperthyroidism"). With an overactive thyroid, the body tends to speed up its functions. Symptoms vary from, fast heartbeats, rapid weight loss, abnormal sweating, nervousness, and mood changes. Hyperthyroidism is normally diagnosed through a series of lab tests. If not properly taken care of, condition may worsen leading to bone and heart problems in the long run. As far as treatment is concerned, options may vary from person to person depending on age and the level of activity of the thyroid. Treatments include antithyroid medicines, radioactive iodine ablation, and the last resort, surgery. Though all treatment plans work, radioactive iodine ablation is a permanent and more reliable remedy for an overactive thyroid. Radioactive iodine ablation is in fact the most commonly used cure for people with hyperthyroidism problems in the US today. “The treatment has been around since 1942 and has been extensively used since the 1950's” ("Radioactive Iodine Treatment o...

... middle of paper ...

...atment is safe because radio-iodine is able to deliver a sufficient amount of radiation to the thyroid allowing to slow the hormone production, and only deliver a small amount to the body. The radiation delivered to the body is far from harmful and is only equivalent to the amount of radiation delivered from two routine diagnostic X-Ray procedures such as a gastrointestinal series ("Educational Material"). The form of treatment has been used for 35 years and over one million patients in the United States have been assisted through the treatment of radioactive iodine ablation. Most physicians will rely on this treatment and recommend 90 percent of their over active thyroid patients to receive the radioactive iodine ("Educational Material"). The treatment, till this day, is known to continuously alleviate the majority of symptoms hyperthyroidism patients have today.

Show More
Related

  • Hypothyroidism Case Study Essay

    397 Words  | 1 Pages

    First I will be discussing about the thyroid gland, so the thyroid gland is a gland in the neck that secretes hormones. These hormones regulate growth and development, and metabolism. The main hormone secreted is Thyroxine. So when a person like Margie is diagnosed with hypothyroidism it means the thyroid gland does not secrete enough hormones. As many females get over the age of 50, they are more at risk of developing hypothyroidism. The symptoms

    Read More

  • Thyroid Gland Disorders of Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism

    889 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hypothyroidism develops when the thyroid gland does not produce enough of certain hormones. (“Hypothyroidism”, n.d.). Hypothyroidism can be broken down even further. The two types of hypothyroidism are congenital hypothyroidism or acquired hypothyroidism. According to Porth 2011, “Congenital hypothyroidism develops prenatally and is present at birth. Acquired hypothyroidism develops later in life because of primary disease of the thyroid gland or secondary to disorders of hypothalamic or pituitary origin.” (p. 786). Some common symptoms include increased sensitivity to cold, dry skin, fatigue, constipation, drowsiness, hypothermia and muscle weakness (“Hypothyroidism”, n.d.).

    Read More

  • How Can X-Rays Harm The Human Body

    581 Words  | 2 Pages

    When taking a radiograph there are some precautions that can be taken to reduce some of the radiation that can be exposed to a patient, what would be used on all patients is call a lead apron and thyroid collar, these aprons are used to protect the patients that may be a bit more radiosensitive and also may give the patient a little of reassurance that they will be protected. “Radiosensitivity is the relative susceptibility of cells, tissues, organs, organisms, or other substances to the injurious action of radiation.”

    Read More

  • Dessicated Thyroid versus Synthetic Therapies in the Treatment of Hypothyroidism

    1270 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hypothyroidism is an endocrine disorder that effects the lives of many people. In hypothyroidism, the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone, causing an array of symptoms such as fatigue, weight gain, depression, swelling of limbs, lack of focus and many more. The current standard of treatment of hypothyroidism is hormone replacement therapy with a synthetic form of thyroxine (T4) called Levothyroxine or T4 Monotherapy. The whole idea behind T4 Monotherapy is that the Levothyroxine (which is a synthetic version of the natural thyroid hormone thyroxine) will mimic what occurs naturally in the body, and be deiodinated in the peripheral tissues to become the more biologically active thyroid hormone triiodothyronine (T3) and thus, alleviating the patients symptoms. Unfortunately, this however, is not always the case. For some patients, even though they are in the therapeutic range using T4 monotherapy, their bodies aren’t properly converting the synthetic T4 to active T3. Because of this, coupled with the invention of the internet, patients are turning to search engines in hopes to find an answer that will alleviate their symptoms, which has led to a resurgence in the use of desiccated thyroid products. Desiccated thyroid is derived from porcine thyroid glands, and contain both T4 and T3 thyroid hormones. Some alternative medical practioners are claiming there is more benefit in this natural product vs synthetic, but perhaps we need to take a closer look into the alternative treatment options of hypothyroidism- such as desiccated products, and why natural might not always be better.

    Read More

  • Grave’s Disease: A Lifelong Commitment

    1788 Words  | 4 Pages

    Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disease that was discovered by Robert Graves in 1835. Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks the thyroid gland and causes hyperthyroidism. Graves’ disease occurs when the antibodies like thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin and thyrotropin receptor antibodies (TRAbs) attack the thyroid gland as if it were a foreign object or a virus of some sort. This disease is the most common type of hyperthyroidism. Attacking the thyroid gland in such a manner makes it excessively overproduce the hormone thyroxine which controls the body’s metabolic rate. Heightened activity of the thyroid can increase the body’s metabolism by 60% to 100%. (Weeks 34-35).

    Read More

  • Thyroid Cancer Essay

    1125 Words  | 3 Pages

    Thyroid cancer is an abnormal and malignant cell growth in the thyroid gland (see figure 1). The wellbeing of a person’s thyroid gland is extremely important, as this organ secretes hormones and other chemicals that help a person maintain homeostasis, more specifically the weight, blood pressure, heart rate, and internal body temperature (Bethesda, National Cancer Institute). According to the Mayo Clinic, although it is not yet clear to researchers what exactly causes thyroid cancer, what medical scientists do know is why it occurs. One type of thyroid cancer that can be genetic is medullary thyroid cancer. This type of cancer is genetic because it is linked with a variety of risk factors that could lead up to cancer, such as gender, age, radiation exposure, hereditary conditions, and family history (“What Are the Risk Factors for Thyroid Cancer?”). A major specific cause of thyroid diseases and cancers is insufficient iodine intake. Thyroid cancer is less common in the United States, than places that do not include as much iodine in the diet because in the United States, iodine is often added to many foods and consumption products. An environmental factor that is associated with thyroid cancer is exposure to radiation. One major example of this is the radiation from the Chernobyl incident; many people were affected by the radiation and many people, especially children, developed thyroid cancer (“What Are the Risk Factors for Thyroid Cancer?”).

    Read More

  • Essay On Hypothyroidism

    901 Words  | 2 Pages

    The balance of the thyroid hormone is complicated and involves the participation of different parts of the body (Kaplustin, 2010).

    Read More

  • Thyroid Cancer

    572 Words  | 2 Pages

    Follicular cells use iodine from your blood to make thyroid hormones that help regulate a persons’ metabolism. If you have too much of these hormones, it is called hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism symptoms include irregular or rapid heartbeat, trouble sleeping, nervousness, weight loss, and constantly feeling too warm.

    Read More

  • Hyponatremia Essay

    705 Words  | 2 Pages

    When diagnosed with hyponatremia treatment usually immediately begins. Treatment must be a restriction of both salt and water (Gheorghita et. al 2010). Hyponatremic patients must receive a slow increase in sodium with a restriction of liquids. Intravenous hypertonic saline solution of 3% NaCl can be administered to patients who have been diagnosed with hyponatremia. There is a precise formula that is used in determining the quantity of NaCl that is used in increasing sodemia and the rate at which it should be administered (Gheorghita et. al 2010).

    Read More

  • The Causes of Hyperthyroidism

    1437 Words  | 3 Pages

    The thyroid gland is found in the front of the neck and produces two main hormones. The hormones are called thuroxine (T4) and Triiodothyronine (T3). Together these hormones regulate the body’s metabolism by increasing energy use in cells, regulate growth and development, help to maintain body temperature and aid in oxygen consumption. These two hormones are regulated by hormones produced by the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. The hypothalamus senses changes in body’s metabolic rate and releases a hormone known as thyropin-releasing hormone (TRH). This hormone then flows through connecting vessels to the pituitary gland which signals it to release another hormone. This hormone is known as thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). TSH then makes its way to the bloodstream until it reaches the thyroid where it is then signaled to activate T3 and T4 production [1]. This mechanism is controlled by a negative feedback loop meaning that when there is a sufficient amount of thyroid hormones in the blood stream, this will signal back to stop production of thyroid stimulating hormones. Complications occur when the thyroid hormones keep increasing even though there is already a sufficient amount of T3 and T4 in the blood stream. This process of over expression of thryroid hormones is known as hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism is a general term that includes any disease that has a consequence of an overabundance of thyroid hormones. Hyperthyroidism is a general term but there are many variant diseases that are in the hyperthyroidism category. These diseases include diffuse toxic goiter, Basedow’s disease, thyrotoxicosis, Parry’s and Graves’ disease.

    Read More

  • Hormone Replacement Therapy

    1317 Words  | 3 Pages

    Cygan, R., & Rucker, L. (1983). Thyroid hormone replacement. Western Journal of Medicine, 1(2), 550-554.

    Read More

  • Hypothyroidism Essay

    702 Words  | 2 Pages

    Among these disorders are hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. Hypothyroidism is a disorder in which one is diagnosed for having and underactive thyroid. The probability for women over the age of sixty to develop an underactive thyroid is higher than those of other individuals. If left untreated it can potentially lead to obesity, joint pain, heart disease, and other health complications. On the contrary, hyperthyroidism is a disorder in which a person is diagnosed for having an overactive thyroid. This can cause nervousness and anxiety, hyperactivity, unexplained weight loss, and swelling of the thyroid gland which causes a noticeable lump to form on throat (known as a

    Read More

  • Nuclear Medicine

    2371 Words  | 5 Pages

    Nuclear Medicine is the use of radioisotopes for diagnosis, treatment, and research. Radioactive chemical tracers emit gamma rays which provides diagnostic information about a person's anatomy and the functioning of specific organs. Radioisotopes are also utilizes in treatments of diseases such as cancer. It is estimated that approximately one in two people in Western countries are likely to experience the benefits of nuclear medicine in their lifetime.

    Read More

  • Radioisotopes and their Medical Uses

    892 Words  | 2 Pages

    It was 1939 was when the use of radioisotope in medical clinics began. This radioisotope was Iodine-131 and it was used in thyroid investigations. Iodine-131 was also later used for treating hyperthyroidism and thyroid cancer. After the success of using this radioisotope, other radioactive isotopes became accessible (Keevil).

    Read More

  • Essay On Newborn Screening

    935 Words  | 2 Pages

    Congenital hypothyroidism is the most common disorder identified by routine newborn screening. It is found in about 1:3000 screened infants (Dussault, 1993). The major clinical features of untreated congenital hypothyroidism are growth retardation and delayed cognitive development leading to mental deficiency.

    Read More

More about Essay On Hyperthyroidism

Open Document