15-Year-Old Patient: A Case Study

Graves ' disease is an immune system disorder that results in the overproduction of thyroid hormones (hyperthyroidism). The thyroid gland is an important organ of the endocrine system. The gland is located at the front of the neck above where the collarbones meet. This gland releases the hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), which control body metabolism. Controlling metabolism is important for regulating mood, weight, and mental and physical energy levels. When the body makes too much thyroid hormone, the condition is called hyperthyroidism. Graves disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism and is most common in women over age 20. But the disorder can occur at any age and can affect men as well. Some of the symptoms of Graves diseases are

Diabetes is a growing concern and health challenge for the American people (b). Diabetes is a condition in which the body cannot react to insulin appropriately or either cannot produce insulin efficiently (w). “Without a properly functioning insulin signaling system, blood glucose levels become elevated and other metabolic abnormalities occur, leading to the development of serious, disabling complications” (w). There are numerous forms of diabetes amongst the nation, however, there are three main forms of diabetes. Most people have heard of type one diabetes, type two diabetes, and gestational diabetes because they are common. Type two diabetes deals with a resistance to insulin, while

Type 1 diabetes is a serious chronic condition that tends to arise prior to adulthood. The disease requires substantial lifestyle changes in order to cope, and can lead to several debilitating outcomes if left unchecked. According to the American Diabetes Association ([ADA], 2017), Type 1 diabetes is defined as a chronic condition where the body no longer produces the insulin hormone, and is therefore unable to utilize and store glucose. As a result, individuals with Type 1 diabetes may experience excessively high or low blood glucose levels: hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia respectively (ADA, 2017). Both sides of the spectrum can have devastating effects on the body’s cardiovascular and renal activities, in addition to deteriorating the peripheral

TSH not only stimulates the thyroid gland to churn out more hormones. If in excess, can cause overwhelming cell growth and division to result in goiter.

Type 1 diabetes, previously called juvenile diabetes, is an incurable condition that is normally diagnosed in children and young adults. Type one diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease with an unknown cause. Symptoms can be subtle and if gone undiagnosed and untreated, T1D can be fatal. The treatment of T1D requires daily injections of insulin to break down excess sugar in the blood. Treatment costs of diabetes are high and the complications associated with T1D only increases those costs. Historically people with a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes (T1D) did not have long life expectancy. Today with advancements in treatment, commitment to managing insulin levels and living a healthy life style, T1D patients can lead a long an full life.

The health care provider ordered blood work that included thyroid-stimulating hormone, triiodothyronine, thyroxine, and radioactive iodine uptake to confirm the diagnosis of hyperthyroidism. The labs returned with an elevated level of triiodothyronine and thyroxine, while the thyroid-stimulating hormone was decreased. There was also an

To understand autoimmune diseases, the general characteristic of autoimmunity must be addressed. Autoimmunity is defined, in short, as “ misdirected immune response”. A healthy person is equipped with the mechanisms necessary to defend the body from pathogens within the immune system. When autoimmunity is present in an individual, something within the immune system is

Karen Holt describes in her 2010 article Graves’ Disease: Clinical Pathophysiology, Presentation and Treatment Options of certain genetic markers that cause the blood vessels surrounding the thyroid gland to dilate, most often occurring in the second to third decade of life. The dilation of these vessels causes an increase in blood flow and thyroid-stimulating antibodies excite thyrotropin receptors on the gland itself in the same manner that TSH usually works. These antibodies, known as TSAb, bypass the negative feedback loop that TSH works under causing the follicles to produce thyroid hormones in copious amounts without the ability to turn themselves “off”. This in turn causes the thyroid gland to hypertrophy and grow as much as 2 to 3 times its normal size (p. 13-14). In an effort to stop the overproduction of thyroid hormones the pituitary gland will stop making TSH and this becomes part of the diagnosing for Graves’ disease when assessing hyperthyroidism. Increased levels of free T3 and T4 along with an almost non-detectable level of TSH in a blood screen are very indicative of Graves’ disease (Holt, 2010, p. 14). There is no cure for Graves’ disease, but it is treatable with lifestyle adjustments as well as drug therapy it can be managed to a point (p 46).

Due to the symptoms Martin described to his doctor, he has type one diabetes. His diabetes may have been caused by his lifestyle choices such as smoking two packets of cigarettes a day, limited physical exercise and potentially having a poor diet. As Martin’s pancreas had been working overtime producing too much insulin, his prescription of insulin was needed as his pancreas became exhausted and could no longer produce enough insulin for regular

Autoimmune diseases, such as Graves’ Disease, are complex. Not until the advance of genetic methods, within the

Diabetes is a disease that affects how the body uses glucose, the main type of sugar in the body. But, unlike type 2 diabetes that can be prevented by working out and eating healthy, type 1 diabetes, previously known as as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is an unpreventable chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Type 1 diabetes can occur at any age, but it is most often diagnosed in children, adolescents, or young adults. Every year in the United States more than 15,000 children are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, unfortunately two years ago my cousin was one of them. It was incredibly confusing time for our family when he got diagnosed because no one in our family has ever had this type of

The main cause of hyperthyroidism Graves’ disease which affects quite a few people in the general population. This disease is characterized as an autoimmune disorder. This means that the body makes antibodies known as thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin that bind and over activate the production of thyroid hormones [3]. So in essence the antibody mimics the thyroid stimulating hormone and when the negative feedback loop is in affect the antibody still binds to the thyroid and T3 and T4 are over produced [2].

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that begins when the pancreas quits making insulin. Insulin plays a key role by letting glucose enter the body’s cells, and then uses it for energy. When the body doesn’t get the

With autoimmune diseases, the underlying issue is similar. The body's immune system becomes unable to recognize healthy cells from diseased cells. Consequently, the immune’s own defense mechanism produces antibodies that attack the normal tissues and cells. Autoimmune diseases

Diabetes mellitus: most commonly referred to as ‘’Diabetes’’ it’s a chronic autoimmune disease associated with abnormally high levels of the sugar glucose in the blood. Diabetes is duo to one of the two mechanisms: