Thyroid Hormone Research Paper

The thyroid gland is an integral part of the endocrine system in the human body. The thyroid gland secretes the thyroid hormone, which plays an important role in the growth of the body. The thyroid is butterfly shaped, and located at the bottom of the neck. Two important hormones produced by the thyroid gland are thyroxine and triidothyronine. Both of these hormones help the body grow after birth, and they also aid tissues increase their oxygen use within these tissues. The thyroid gland secretes another hormone that plays a part in skeletal growth called thyrocalcitonin. “It decreases circulating calcium by inhibiting bone resorption and by promoting calcium deposition in the bones,” Haywood and Getchell (2005) state.

There are many things, both inside the body and externally, that can cause the thyroid to produce too little hormone, also known as hypothyroidism. Often times, the root cause is from a viral infection or an autoimmune disorder known as Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which causes the body to mistakenly attack and damage the thyroid. Other common causes include:

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

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.

Commonly, problems with the thyroid involve an abnormal production level of these hormones. It is called hyperthyroidism if there the thyroid hormones are overproduced, and this can cause things like Graves’ disease, Toxic adenomas, and subacute thyroiditis (7). Hypothyroidism is the underproduction of the hormones which can be caused by an inflamed thyroid, iodine deficiency, a non-functioning thyroid gland and more. Hypothyroidism is especially dangerous in infants and newborns as the lack of these thyroid hormones can lead to mental retardation and dwarfism (7). However, in humans hypothyroidism can be caused by things such as a pituitary disorder, a defective thyroid or a lack of the gland completely. (7)

Central Idea: The thyroid controls so many things in your body and if not well taken care of can cause major damage to a person or their life.

Thyroid Function Tests: The thyroid’s job is to make thyroid hormones, which are secreted into the blood and the carried to every tissue in the body. The major thyroid hormone secreted by the thyroid gland is thyroxine, also called T4 as it contains four iodine atoms. T4 is converted to T3 (triodothyronine) by removal of iodine atom. It occurs mainly in liver and in brain. The amount of T4 produced is controlled by another hormone which is made in the pituitary gland located at the base of brain, called thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). The amount of TSH is in the blood depends on the amount of T4 that the pituitary sees. If the pituitary sees very little T4, then it produces more TSH to tell thyroid gland to produce more T4.When T4 in the bloodstream goes above a certain level, the pituitary’s production of TSH is shut off. The thyroid and pituitary act like heater and a thermostat. If it’s cold the thermostat reads the temperature and turns on the heater. Thus, the thyroid and pituitary, like heater turn on and off. T4 and T3 circulate almost entirely proteins, and when these proteins change their level in the blood, there is change in T4 and T3 levels.

There are many causes of hyperthyroidism, but the symptoms of hyperthyroidism are the same no matter what causes the over expression of thyroid hormones. The main symptoms of hyperthyroidism are fatigue, shortness of breath, weak muscles, anxiety, difficulty sleeping and heart palpitations. Interestingly, even with an increase in appetite the patient will have weight loss.

As more is studied about the thyroid gland, it has become clear that iodine helps in its function and a diet lacking in it may be a significant cause of the thyroid gland malfunctioning and not producing enough hormones. Ensuring a dog’s diet contains adequate amounts of iodine will keep its thyroid active. Tyrosine intake must also be closely monitored. Since obesity is a symptom of hypothyroidism, it is important to control weight gain by switching the dog to a low calorie, low carbohydrate food (Andrews, 2017). It is important to consult a veterinarian when wanting to use a natural thyroid support product due to the fact that if these are used with the medication, it may actually cause the disease to progress instead of stopping it (Mercola,

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

Because of the endocrine system’s critical role in so many important biological and physiological functions, impairments in any part of the endocrine system can lead to disease or even death. For example, diabetics have deficiencies in insulin release and/or action, and people with type I diabetes will die without insulin replacement. Aldosterone is also critical for life, and adrenal diseases affecting aldosterone function can be life-threatening. Often, under- or over-secretion of hormones such as thyroid hormone results in metabolic disturbances and many physical and neurobiological changes, due to thyroid hormone’s key role in day-to-day cellular metabolism and brain function. Other hormonal dysfunctions include infertility, growth disturbances,

This is a condition in which the thyroid gland no longer produces enough of vital hormones.

Hypothyroidism is the result of the thyroid gland not secreting adequate amounts of thyroid hormones. With this condition, all metabolic processes slow down. Hypothyroidism originates from various causes. It can be autoimmune in nature when the immune system produces antibodies that attack the body’s own tissues. A pituitary disorder in which the pituitary fails to produce enough TSH has also been reported to be the cause of hypothyroidism. There are other causes noted to result in hypothyroidism such as iodine deficiency, pregnancy, and a thyroidectomy which is the removal of the thyroid glands. During my clinical rotation in the orthopedic unit, I cared for a patient who has a diagnosis of hypothyroidism and has had a thyroidectomy in the past.

One of the most common causes of of hyperthyroidism is Graves’ Disease which causes the thyroid gland to produce too much thyroid hormone. Your metabolism will most likely accelerate. Some other causes are: toxic adenoma, Plummer’s disease, and thyroiditis. The two main hormones that the thyroid produces are: thyroxine (T-4) and triiodothyronine (T-3). They influence all the cells in your body by doing things like maintaining the rate that your body uses fats

Before this learning unit, I was aware of general aspect of thyroid structure and function. But I found it helpful to adequate myself into the synthesis and control of hormone production. The transport of thyroid hormones along the body was new to me, as well as, the methods of measurement of thyroid hormones. Some of the thyroid disorders are quite common, so as a health worker, it is important to be aware of the different tests used to assess the thyroid, such as, plasma T3, T4 and TSH; besides the tests that establish the cause of the dysfunction, including thyroid autoantibodies (anti-thyroid peroxidase and anti-thyroglobulin), serum thyroid binding globulin (TBG), thyroid enzyme activities,