At some point in their lifetime, more than twelve percent of the population will develop a thyroid condition. An estimated twenty million Americans have some form of thyroid disease, with women being five to eight times more likely than men to develop a thyroid problem.
Grave’s disease is the most common form of hyperthyroidism, affecting more than seventy percent of people. This disease usually occurs when the immune system’s antibodies in the blood, also known as lymphocytes, attack the thyroid and bind to the surface of thyroid cells, which then grow in size and secrete too much thyroid hormone. It is thought to be a genetic disorder. Thyroid hormone plays a significant role in the body’s metabolic processes. When too much thyroid hormone is present, every bodily function tends to speed up. Common symptoms include nervousness, irritability, increased perspiration, heart racing, tremors, anxiety, difficulty sleeping, thinning of the skin, fine brittle hair, weakness of the muscles in the upper arms and thighs, frequent bowel movements, weight loss and for women, menstrual flow may lighten or occur less often. In Grave’s disease, the eyes may look enlarged or bulge. A goiter, or swelling in the front of the neck from an enlarged thyroid gland, is also common.
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A radioactive scan may be done to see whether the entire thyroid gland is overactive. In this scan, radioactive iodine is administered to the patient which then may demonstrate diffuse enlargement and increased uptake of radioiodine. The extent of this uptake helps determine the dose of radioactive iodine necessary for treatment. Ultrasound may also be utilized to help determine the size and location of the affected thyroid gland, which can then be paired with the radioactive
Week 3 – LOM Assignment The thyroid is responsible for taking iodine and converting it into thyroid hormones which are released into the blood stream and transported throughout the body where they control metabolism.1 The thyroid is a vital part of the human body as every cell in the body depends on it for metabolic regulation. Too much or too little thyroid hormone secretion can result in hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism. Hyperthyroidism is caused when the thyroid secretes too many thyroid hormones. Hyperthyroidism causes a rapid heart rate, elevated blood pressure and tremors. Other symptoms include increased nervousness, inability to concentrate, weakness, restlessness, difficulty sleeping, frequent bowel movements, weight loss and irregular
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
You may not have known this before you got news of your condition, but Hashimoto’s disease is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the developed world, and it affects literally millions of patients. You are definitely not alone with this condition! “Hypothyroidism” is a medical term, and what it means is simply low thyroid
It is often the first resort for doctors when deciding how to treat their patient. First, a test is administered to determine the appropriate dosage for the individual. This is done by intaking a small quantity of the radioactive iodine, and seeing how the thyroid reacts to it. The more iodine the thyroid absorbs, the smaller the prescribed dosage will be. The drug is taken via pill, and is absorbed only by the thyroid cells; thus, no other cells will be affected by the drug’s radiation. Once ingested, the radiation immediately destroys almost all of the thyroid cells. This form of treatment may sound flawless, but it is not certain. There are numerous risks associated with radioactive iodine therapy. The most common would be hypothyroidism, which is the exact opposite of Grave’s disease. Instead of your thyroid overproducing hormones, the opposite occurs: not enough hormones are produced for the body to metabolize. This results in patients having to take thyroid replacement therapy for the rest of their lives (“Radioactive Iodine for Hyperthyroidism” par. 10). Expecting mother also cannot use RAI because the radiation can damage the fetus’ thyroid, which can have a negative effect on its growth and development. In addition to RAI being risky, it is also not the most efficacious treatment option. It can typically take half a year to successfully eliminate the defective
Experts aren’t sure the exact cause of Graves’ disease because it is an autoimmune disease. There are certain risk factors associated with Graves’ disease which include genetics, gender, age, pregnancy, mental stress, and smoking. People who have family history of this disease are more likely to develop it. Also females are more likely than males to acquire Graves’ disease and onset of the disease usually occurs after the age of 20. Anatomy affected by this disease is the thyroid gland which is part of the endocrine system. It is located at the back of the neck, below the Adam’s apple. This disease doesn’t destroy the thyroid gland, instead an antibody called thyrotropin receptor antibody makes the thyroid produce large amounts of hormone. The thyroid produces two hormones, thyroxine and triiodothyronine. These hormones affect many body systems and play a key role in regulating the body’s metabolic rate. Excessive secretion of these hormones is what causes the signs and symptoms that have already been described.
The thyroid gland is a two lobed gland that is situated in the neck region on either side of and anterior to the trachea, it also has the parathyroid glands located posteriorly on the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland secretes the Thyroxine (T4) and Triiodothyronine (T3) and Calcitonin. The thyroid gland plays a very important part in metabolism, growth and maturation of the human body, to put it simply it regulates the speed with which your body cells work. For the remaining of this paper the focus will be on what the deficiency of the thyroid hormones cause.
During my sophomore year of high school, I was diagnosed by a naturopathic doctor with Grave's Disease, which is a thyroid condition. I felt that it was the end of the world being diagnosed with a thyroid condition. Though I learned that I could manage and live with it, but the good news was I did not have to have my thyroid surgically removed. I was shocked by the blood draw results that I have Grave's Disease and I thought it was a mistake, but it was not a mistake. It was upsetting for me to take in and by having this disease; it also meant that I had to eliminate all gluten from my diet. I had to take six to nine natural thyroid supplement capsules during the day and at night. I also was diagnosed as dairy intolerant. There was a part
Graves’ Disease is identified as an autoimmune disorder that directly affects the thyroid gland. Characterized as the most common cause of hyperthyroidism, Graves’ Disease encompasses an overactive, enlarged thyroid gland, which produces an excess of thyroid hormones [1]. Approximately 3% of the United States population is affected by Graves’ Disease and 60-80% of patients affected with Graves’ disease are diagnosed with hyperthyroidism [2]. The approximate female to male ratio is 5/1, with majority of those cases being diagnosed in adults over the age of 20. The peak incidence of cases fall between 40-60 years old [3]. In addition, a higher incidence of Graves’ Disease appears in African Americans and persons of Asian descent as compared to Caucasians in the United States.
Hashimoto's disease is a condition in which your immune system attacks your thyroid, a small gland at the base of your neck below your laryngeal prominence(Adam's apple.) The thyroid gland is part of your endocrine system, which produces hormones that coordinate many of your body's need.(Mayo Clinic, November 17, 2016) According to www.womenshealth.gov one the reason of having Hashimoto include genes. Research is still be done to determine how genes are involved in having Hashimoto. Genes are one the factors that related to cause hashimoto. Another factor that is believed to be a cause for having hashimoto is gender. Somehow hashimoto affect women more than men and once again research cannot determine why women are more suitable to autoimmune
Autoimmune thyroid diseases are common due to the difficiency of iodine in the diet of most of the patients.
Hyperthyroidism (too much hormone) may result Grave's disease. Symptoms include anxiety, rapid heart rate, diarrhea and weight loss, nervousness, anxiety, and irritability.
Grave’s disease is uncommon in pregnancy. It occurs in 0.5 to 3.0% of pregnancies. Grave’s disease is an autoimmune disease that causes the thyroid gland to produce too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism). Common signs and symptoms of hyperthyroidism are nervousness, tachycardia, tremor, sweating, dyspnea, weight loss, goiter, and ophthalmopathy (Alamdari et al., 2013, p. 1-2). Poorly treated or untreated hyperthyroidism during pregnancy may cause preeclampsia, preterm delivery, intrauterine growth restriction, low birth weight, and miscarriage. Other complications may include congestive heart failure, thyroid storm, and postpartum bleeding. In addition, the fetus of hyperthyroid mother is at risk because the stimulating maternal TRAb passes the placenta and may cause fetal hyperthyroidisms. The fetus will experience
Graves disease is the swelling of the neck and protrusion of the eyes resulting from an overactive thyroid gland. Women are five times more likely to suffer from Graves disease, the most common ages are between 20 and 40 ("Graves' disease." par. 1). It is common for people with Graves disease to get it after they have had an infection or they have been under a lot of physical or mental stress. Graves disease only affects around 0.5% of the population, but it is the underlying cause of hyperthyroidism about 80% of the time (Brent, Gregory A. par. 3). Hyperthyroidism is when your thyroid is overactive, this causes an increased heartbeat and metabolism. I found this topic to be interesting because I’ve never heard of this disease before. Its name caught my attention and when I started a brief search on the disease, I wanted to deeper explore the topic. Graves disease affects many people in many different ways, which can make it hard to diagnose. Many of the small symptoms add up to this dangerous disease
Hyperthyroidism is caused by an excess of thyroxine (T4) or triiodothyronine (T3), or both. This excess is a result of a malfunction of the thyroid gland as indicated by the picture below. There are many different symptoms of hyperthyroidism, some of the most common being major weight loss despite having a insatiable appetite, anxiety, heat intolerance, fatigue, weakness, hyperactivity, irritability, apathy, depression, and sweating. In addition, many experience shortness of breath, loss of balance, nausea, vomiting, osteoporosis, and diarrhea. However, those who undergo hyperthyroidism later in life may not experience most of these symptoms at all and instead only feel constantly fatigued and considerable weight loss. Nonetheless, neurological symptoms may occur in addition to the physical manifestations. These neurological symptoms include tremor, chorea (ticks), myopathy (muscle weakness), and temporary but periodic paralysis. There are a variety of ways to treat hyperthyroidism, depending on the age of the patient, the size of their thyroid gland, and their general health. The most common treatments include beta-blockers, which do not actually cure hyperthyroidism but mask some of the symptoms such as tremors, anxiety and so on. This, however, is not advised for those with heart or lung problems. Another possible treatment for this disease is radioactive iodine, or RAI. RAI therapy is the most common treatment for hyperthyroidism
Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disorder and one of the most common cause of overactive thyroid. It Is characterised by hyperthyroidism and goitre, extrathyroidal manifestations like proptosis and sometimes localized manifestations of the connective tissue system such as dermopathy and ophthalmopathy.