Patient Condition: 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

According to The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, diagnosis of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis begins with a physical exam and medical history. A goiter, nodules, or growths may be found during a physical exam, and symptoms may suggest hypothyroidism. Health care providers will then perform blood tests to confirm the diagnosis. Diagnostic blood tests may include the TSH, which, if above normal lab values, means a patient has hypothyroidism. Blood tests also include T4, which is the amount of thyroid hormone in the blood. In hypothyroidism, the blood lab values are lower than normal. The anti-thyroid antibody tests look for presence of thyroid autoantibodies. Most people with Hashimoto’s disease have these antibodies; however, hypothyroidism isn’t always caused

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

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;

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.

Some of these diagnoses include a physical exam, blood sample, radioactive iodine uptake and ultrasound1. With a physical exam, the doctor will check the patient’s eyes to see if they are bulging out or the area around the eye looks enlarged. They well check to see if the thyroid gland is abnormally large and because of its association with increase metabolism, the doctor will check the pulse and blood pressure of the patient and look for signs of tremors which are involuntary quivering movements1. Only in severe cases will a blood test detect TSI in the bloodstream, if TSI does not show up in a patient’s blood, then a radioactive iodine may be conducted. This is because the thyroid intakes iodine from the bloodstream and uses that iodine in order to make thyroid hormones so the radioactive iodine is inserted in the bloodstream and is collected by the thyroid gland, is the thyroid gland collects large amounts of this radioactive iodine, then the patient may have Graves’ disease3. If the patient is pregnant, that patient cannot undergo radioactive treatment because the radioactive iodine could harm the fetus’ thyroid and can be passed from the mother to the child in breast milk if the mother is breastfeeding4. An ultrasound can use the high-frequency waves to produce images of structures inside the body and can show if the thyroid gland is enlarged or

The cardiac system is at the mercy of thyroid hormone (Klein & Ojamaa, 2001). Thyroid hormone acts on cardiac muscle and vascular smooth-muscle cells, causing increased heart rate and blood pressure when there is an excess of thyroid hormone (Klein & Ojamaa, 2001). The opposite is also true (Klein & Ojamaa, 2001). Care must be taken when using amiodarone, a common anti-dysrhythmic medication, with hypothyroid patients (Klein & Ojamaa, 2001). Amiodarone is iodine-rich and can cause the little thyroid function to end (Klein & Ojamaa, 2001).

According to the American Thyroid Association hyperthyroidism is an condition in which there is excessive amount of thyroid hormone in the body. It is also stated that another term for this problem is called Grave’s disease or thyrotoxicosis, and thyrotoxicosis is when there is high levels of thyroid hormones in the blood stream. The thyroid is a small shaped butter-fly gland located in the front of the neck and that is apart of the immune system. The authors of this article talks about who is the most affected, diagnoses, and treatment of this disease.

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

a) Overactive thyroid, also called hyperthyroidism, is a common hormonal condition. It occurs when there is an excessive amount of thyroid hormone in the body. This can trigger a variety of symptoms such as nervousness and anxiety due to an increase in speed of the body’s metabolism. Serious health issues from having hyperthyroidism can cause life-threatening problems. It is important to regularly visit a doctor if you have hyperthyroidism. Some of the other health issues can be caused from the treatment, in which if you undergo radioactive iodine, you will eventually develop an underactive thyroid, also known as, hypothyroidism. You would need thyroid hormone supplements for the rest of your life. The treatment for hyperthyroidism includes

Hypothyroidism develops when there are inadequate levels of thyroid hormones (TH) within the body. TH’s play a huge role in metabolism and influence many other functions on a day-to-day basis. Hypothyroidism affects a wide-range of individuals and can have detrimental consequences on almost any organ in the human body. Most commonly it is caused by an autoimmune disorder that attacks thyroid tissue. Symptoms range from easily observable such as weight gain to more complicated findings such as depression. The complexity and variation of hypothyroidism manifestation between individuals can causes it to go undiagnosed for extended periods of time. Although it’s incurable it is considered to be a manageable pathology. The use of synthetic hormones

The function of the thyroid is very important to the body and functionally quite amazing. The thyroid gland plays a huge role in the metabolism and growth of the body. It regulates many functions of the body by releasing hormones at specific times into the bloodstream. Sometimes, the thyroid will even produce more when the body is in need such as in times of cold, heat, stress, and pregnancy. The three hormones the thyroid gland produces are Triiodothyronine or T3, Tetraiodothyronine or T4, and calcitonin. Iodine is the main component of T3 and T4 thus making it a hugely important substance for thyroid metabolism. Since iodine is so scarce in the human body and not produced from within, it must be taken in with food consumption. Once an individual consumes food containing iodine it is broken down into the bloodstream and eventually built into thyroid hormones in the thyroid gland. The third hormone, calcitonin, is produced in the body by the C-cells. Calcitonin is largely important in calcium and bone metabolism. If the levels of any of these hormones are out of balance then many thyroid related problems could arise, one of these

As we all know, the body goes through many changes as it ages. One of these changes is related to the thyroid gland and its functions. The thyroid gland in the elderly will atrophy causing changes in its hormone production. According to an article by Makin, V., 2015, “Thyroid disorders affect more than 10 percent of patients over the age of 80. About 1.3 percent of those over age 65 developed overt hyperthyroidism with suppressed pituitary thyrotropin (TSH) and elevated free T3/T4 levels, and about 2.1 percent develop subclinical hyperthyroidism (SH).” Even though thyroid disorders can be common among the elderly, it is still hard to diagnose and treat because of its uncharacteristic presentations and the presence of other conditions that the patient may have. The diagnosis of hyperthyroidism is often overlooked and is less common in the geriatric population than other thyroid conditions. To inquire about the diagnosis of Hyperthyroidism in the geriatric population a real case of a 70-year-old female patient was selected from the Internal Medicine department of the University of Miami. To further evaluate, patient history of abnormality, the physical assessment that led to the identification of the abnormality, examination technique used, and possible expected laboratory findings and interpretations will be discussed through this presentation.

Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is “characterized by elevated levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in serum in the presence of normal serum levels of free thyroxine (FT4)” (Hennessey and Espaillat, 771). “In contrast, overt hypothyroidism is characterized by elevated thyrotropin (TSH) in combination with subnormal levels of free thyroxine (FT4)” (Hennessey and Espaillat, 771). In order to determine if a person has subclinical or overt hypothyroidism a healthcare practitioner should complete a thyrotropin (TSH) blood test to determine how the thyroid is functioning. According to the American Thyroid Association (ATA), normal thyrotropin (TSH) level should be 0.45-4.50 mlU/L. Along with the thyrotropin (TSH) blood test, a person’s triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) should be checked to help gauge the measure of thyroid hormones and enzymes in the

The thyroid gland is a butterfly shaped endocrine gland that is normally located in the lower front of the neck behind the adam 's apple and along the windpipe. The thyroid gland is very rich with blood vessels. The main purpose of the thyroid is to make, store, and release thyroid hormones into the blood which is then carried to every tissue in the body. How the works is that when you acquired iodine from the food you eat. Some food has a good source of iodine in it, for example iodine is in most foods like milk, salt, bread, etc. The Thyroid gland then takes the right amount of iodine out of your blood and uses it to make two different types of thyroid hormones. The thyroid hormones produced can be either of two different types, either thyroxine or triiodothyronine. According to the article You and Your Hormones, thyroxine is the inactive form of the thyroid hormone while Triiodothyronine is the active form of thyroid the hormone. Thyroid hormones help the body use energy, stay warm and keep the essential body organs working, for example the heart, brain, muscles and other organs. But the thyroid gland influences most of all the metabolic process in the body.