Thyroid Glands

My grandmother suffered with thyroid and use to always ask me if I had thyroids. I remember a time when she told me to get a quarter and some iodine to put on my stomach above my navel. She told me if it changed colors that I had thyroids. Also, because I felt so drained most of the time and would swell in my body often, she had me to consult with my physician about the matter. My grandmother was a very intelligent woman that was very health conscience about herself and her family.

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

In order to evaluate thyroid function and diagnose thyroid diseases such as hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, the free thyroxine (free T4) lab test is performed usually after discovering that the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) level is abnormal (Porth C 2014 p.1288)

As the most interesting patient presentation, two weeks ago there was a 50-year-old Hispanic woman who came to the clinic and complained of unintentional weight gain over 28 pounds in the last two years. The patient wanted to participate in the weight loss program. Upon the physical assessment, this patient stated that her family runs thyroid disorder issues. Prior to starting the weight loss management, my preceptor and I decided to run some lab works to assess her TSH, Free T4, T3, and some other test. The patient has a follow-up appointment in the following week for her lab result. The patient lab’s result abnormal thyroid hormones. She had hypothyroidism. She stated that she had a primary physician that she had seen over 10 years, and they never told her about this problem. The plan was to treat the thyroid problem by prescribing her Armour Thyroid starting at 30 mg. According to Woo and Wynne (2015), for patients who are clinically hypothyroid, replacement therapy with thyroid hormones is

A physical exam and blood tests can usually determine if you have a thyroid issue, which one, and the potential causes of it.

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 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.

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).

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

The thyroid gland is the gland that makes and stores hormones that help regulate the heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and metabolism. Thyroid hormones are essential for the function of every cell in the body. They help regulate growth and the rate of chemical reactions in the body. Thyroid hormones also help children grow and develop. The thyroid gland is located in the lower part of the neck, below the Adam's apple, wrapped around the trachea. It has the shape of a butterfly with two lobes attached to one another by a middle part called the isthmus. The thyroid uses iodine, a mineral found in some foods and in iodized salt, to make its hormones. The two most important thyroid hormones are thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine

This process originates in the hypothalamus when thyrotropin, otherwise known as TRH, is secreted and passes through the hypothalamic vein (Kapustin, 2010). Once the thyrotropin reaches the TRH receptors, they bind and make genes synthesize a thyroid stimulating hormone, otherwise known as TSH (Kapustin, 2010). When the pituitary makes mature TSH, thyroxin and triiodothyronine hormones are produced and secreted and implements a complicated negative feedback process that low levels of thyroxine and triiodothyronine cause TSH levels to rise and high levels of thyroxine and triiodothyronine cause levels of TSH to decrease (Huether & McCance, 2012). Not enough credit is given to this little thyroid gland on the front of the neck. The thyroid helps regulates powerful hormones that are required for growth and development as well as maintaining homeostasis. If we don’t have enough of the thyroid hormone, myxedema can occur. Myxedema can cause multiple organ complications that lead to serious illnesses. For example, with myxedema affecting the heart, complications such as pericardial effusion and bradycardia can occur and with myxedema affecting the reproductive organs, infertility can occur (Kapustin,

A thyroid nodule is an isolated growth of thyroid cells that forms a lump in your thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped gland. It is found in the lower front of your neck. This gland sends chemical messengers (hormones) through your blood to all parts of your body. These hormones are important for regulating your body temperature and helping your body use energy. Thyroid nodules are common. Most are not cancerous (benign). You may have one or several nodules.

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

Thyroid hormone production is regulated by a hormone called thyroid stimulating hormone and it is made in the brain by the pituitary gland. Since it occurs in the thyroid gland, thyroid hormones affect metabolism, brain development, body temperature, skin dryness, and it speeds up many of the body’s functions. The