Hypothyroidism Case Study

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, also called Hashimoto’s disease is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system attacks the thyroid gland. It was named for the Japanese surgeon who discovered it in 1912 The thyroid is a small butterfly shaped gland in the front of the neck. The thyroid makes hormones called T3 and T4. These hormones regulate metabolism. The thyroid is controlled by hormones of the pituitary gland, which is also called the “master gland.” It is a pea-sized gland located in the base of the brain which, among others, makes thyroid stimulating hormone, or TSH. TSH stimulates the thyroid to make thyroid hormone. With Hashimoto’s disease, the thyroid cells are damaged resulting in the inability to make enough thyroid

pituitary is not creating as much TSH. This would cause the Thyroid to stop producing T4

Hashimoto thyroiditis is a common disease caused by hypothyroidism. The immune system cells attack the thyroid gland, causing inflammation and eventually destruction of the gland. This reduces the thyroids ability to make hormones. These hormones are known as thyroxine (T4) and tri-iodothyronine (T3) (Better health channel 2015).

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

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.

The history of hypothyroidism dates way back to the 1800s; seeing the symptoms in patients, even before the disease was able to be diagnosed. Later realizing that many of the cases of cretinism, later called hypothyroidism, were largely associated with the lack in function of the thyroid. Today, also realizing that there is not only internal factors that influence hypothyroidism but also external factors that can contribute. Hypothyroidism can present itself in many different ways from no symptoms at all to organ failure, in a severe enough case. Discovering and treating hypothyroidism with medication or alternative, if the patient chooses, can be very simple after confirming diagnosis with lab results. An optimistic prognosis is usually given to patients diagnosed with hypothyroidism.

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland. You would find it located in the lower neck, right below the Adam’s apple. The location is the same in both men and women. What the thyroid does is create and store thyroid hormone. It then releases the hormone in appropriate amounts to keep the body’s metabolism functioning at a normal level. If there is too much thyroid hormone, this is known as hyperthyroidism. In hyperthyroidism, the body’s metabolism increases. This condition can cause high blood pressure, high heart rate, nervousness, palpitations, and severe weight loss. Too little thyroid hormone, on the other hand, can cause tiredness, depression, memory loss, dry skin, brittle hair, and weight gain—among many other symptoms.

Hyperthyroidism is a malfunction of the thyroid gland, where the thyroid produces too much thyroid hormone. The thyroid hormone is responsible for the body's use of energy, metabolic rates, and proper functioning of the organ systems (Graves disease, 2014). It is an essential hormone for homeostasis.

Hypothyroidism is caused by the thyroid’s gland inability to produce thyroid hormone as required by the body. The diagnosis of hypothyroidism requires the laboratory testing of the thyroid stimulating hormone known as TSH. When the TSH is found to be elevated, a clinician should repeat the test along with a free thyroxine (T4) measurement. If the TSH is found to be elevated, while the T4 is normal, the patient is said to suffer from subclinical hypothyroidism. However, if the TSH is elevated and the T4 is low, the diagnosis is primary hypothyroidism (Gaitonde et al., 2012).

Thyrotoxicosis is a clinical condition caused by excess circulating serum thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), or both with suppression of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). A negative feedback loop involving the hypothalamus, pituitary, and thyroid gland regulates the production and release of thyroid hormones. (Fig. 1) The hypothalamus releases thyroid-releasing hormone (TRH), stimulating the pituitary gland to release TSH, in turn stimulating the thyroid gland to release T4 and T3. Enhanced production of T4 and T3

Like many other organs and cells in the body, the heart is affected by decrease secretion of thyroid hormone. The heart mainly relies of T3, for it is the hormone that is transported into the myocytes. T3 binds to thyroid hormone receptors, which is the start of its many cellular actions. The activation of T3 in the myocytes is responsible for systemic vascular resistance, heart rate, contractility, and blood volume. In primary overt hypothyroidism, there is a hyposecretion of T4 and T3, which affects the cardiovascular hemodynamics. If there is not a sufficient amount of T4 to convert to T3, then there is not enough T3 available for the myocytes to carry out their cellular reaction. As a result, there is a decrease in cardiac output and cardiac contractility with an increase in peripheral vascular resistance. People with cardiovascular dysfunction due to primary overt hypothyroidism typically present with bradycardia, hypertension, dyspnea on exertion, and edema. However, most of the cardiovascular dysfunction responds well with thyroxine replacement therapy (Danzi;

Thyroid hormone deficiency in the body is risky to the malfunction of the vital organs. Alterations like lowering and slowing of the biological processes in the body are assumed by the illness. These variations may replicate those that come about with age. The symptoms associated with hypothyroidism may be difficult to describe especially in the old persons. Hypothyroidism can show different manifestations and signs, depending on the health condition, age and sex of the patient. Thus, for it to be treated appropriately, the nursing practitioner has to have the correct diagnosis (Garber, 2012). Since the disorder is more evident at old age, it is, therefore, vital for thyroid disorder among the aged to be a matter of discussion (Laurberg, 2005). Thus, this thesis aims at discussing the effects of hypothyroidism to a seventy years old male

Hashimoto’s disease also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease that causes hypothyroidism. An autoimmune disease is a disease that stems from an irregular response from the immune system to attack the patient’s own cells specifically those in the thyroid gland. In Hashimoto’s disease the antibodies actually attack and destroy cells of the thyroid gland. This destruction leads to a drop in the production of the triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). When the body detects the decreased production of T3 and T4 it begins to try to correct the imbalance and creates an increased production of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) from the hypothalamus which then stimulates the anterior pituitary gland to release the thyroid

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

Both hypo and hyperthyroidism are a result of a disease in caused by malfunction of the thyroid gland located in the neck as represented by the image below left. The causes of chronic hypothyroidism are fairly distinct. Around the world in third-world and developing countries, iodine deficiency is the most common cause of hypothyroidism. This used to be true as well for developed countries, but today this is a less common cause as iodine usually finds its way into our diets without too much trouble. In modern-day developed countries, hypothyroidism is mainly a result of Hashimoto's thyroiditis, a birth defect which lacks a thyroid gland or a deficiency of hormones from either the hypothalamus or the pituitary gland.