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Hi Healthies,

Before sharing information about thyroid disorders and hyperthyroidism (Overactive Thyroid) we want to share some facts about thyroid disorder -



1) Women are five to eight times more susceptible to this order than man.

2) About 80% of women in India are unaware where the thyroid gland is.

3) Doctors estimate around one in five people will suffer some form of thyroid disease by the time they reach 60, predominantly women.

4) According to a projection from various studies on thyroid disease, it has been estimated that about 42 million people in India suffer from thyroid diseases.

5) About 90% of people suffering from thyroid disorders are not even aware of it.

6) “The clinical symptom is swelling of the body, but people do get subtle symptoms like hair fall, feeling of being drained out, irregularities in menstrual period etc.,” said Dr HB Chandalia, consulting endocrinologist, Jaslok hospital.

7) According to experts, if remained untreated, thyroid could lead to major heart problems, infertility, Alzheimer's disease, stroke due to high blood pressure and death.

8) If thyroid disorder is undiagnosed or not properly treated during pregnancy it may result in  miscarriage, preterm delivery, and severe developmental problems in their children. 

Unawareness and lack of knowledge and symptoms is the major cause of the negligence of  any  kind of disorder, which lead you to diagnose it in later stages.  Any disorder or changes in the body, if identified in the earlier stage can prevent it from getting diseased.

Here we are going to describe -

WHAT IS THYROID
SYMPTOMS Of HYPERTHYROIDISM
CAUSE Of HYPERTHYROIDISM
DIAGNOSIS Of HYPERTHYROIDISM

 WHAT IS THYROID -




Thyroid is the butterfly shaped gland,  located at the middle of the lower neck and produces 
hormones that influence every cell, tissue and organ of the body.  If this gland is under active and does not produce enough hormone it results in under active thyroid or hypothyroidism and if this gland is overactive and produces too much thyroid hormones, results in hyperthyroidism.  



HYPERTHYROIDISM   (Click Here for Hypothyroidism or Under Active Thyroid  )

Hyperthyroidism affects the metabolism of the body by increasing it initially, but over the period of time the body breaks down, so being tired is very common. If there is too much thyroid hormone, every function of the body tends to speed up. 


SYMPTOMS Of HYPERTHYROIDISM

  • Weight loss
  • Nervousness
  • Irritability
  • Increased perspiration
  • Racing heart
  • Hand tremors
  • Anxiety
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Increased bowel movements
  • Fine brittle hair
  • Muscular weakness—especially in the upper arms and thighs.  
  • Menstrual flow may lighten and menstrual periods may occur less often. 

CAUSE Of HYPERTHYROIDISM



Graves’ disease -           This is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism.  Antibodies in the blood stream turn on the thyroid and cause it to grow and secrete too much thyroid hormone. This makes the entire thyroid gland overactive. If this is the cause, the eyes may look enlarged because the upper lids are elevated. One or both eyes may bulge. Some patients have swelling of the front of the neck from an enlarged thyroid gland.

Other causes include

1) Toxic nodular or multinodular goiter, which occurs when there are one or more overactive nodules or lumps in the thyroid increase their activity so that the total output of thyroid hormone into the blood is greater than normal.

2) Immune system or a viral infection may cause inflammation of the thyroid known as a thyroiditis, which causes the gland to leak thyroid hormone

3) Taking too much thyroid hormone in tablet form.

Last two forms of excess thyroid hormone are only called thyrotoxicosis, since the thyroid is not overactive.

DIAGNOSIS Of HYPERTHYROIDISM 

Some signs on the body shows hyperthyroidism.  Physician usually examines

  • Enlarged thyroid gland
  • Rapid pulse
  • Moist, smooth skin  
  • Tremor of your fingertips
  • Fast reflexes and abnormalities in eyes in case of Grave's Disease

Abnormalities are confirmed by performing blood test by measuring the amount of thyroid hormones in the blood stream.  They check the level of
 
Thyroxine (T4) : The major hormone secreted by the thyroid gland. 

Triiodothyronine (T3) : Thyroxine is broken down to produce Triiodothyronine which causes most of the effects of the thyroid hormones. 

Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) : Is a hormone that stimulates the thyroid gland to produce thyroxine (T4), and then triiodothyronine (T3

High level of thyroid hormone and low level of TSH is common if thyroid gland is overactive.  If doctor finds the report positive than scanning of thyroid gland is performed to find the exact cause of the disorder.

A test that measures the ability of the gland to collect iodine (a thyroid uptake) may be done at the same time.

TREATMENT OPTIONS

Treatment depends upon

  • Age
  • The type of hyperthyroidism that you have
  • The severity of your hyperthyroidism
  • Other medical conditions that may be affecting your health
  • Your own preference.

Treatment may include  taking antithyroid medications, surgery to remove the thyroid or radioactive iodine therapy and Beta-blockers

 


We hope that this article has helped you in understanding Thyroid disorder and Hyperthyroidism better.  Most of the people are unaware of this tiny thyroid gland and it's disorder, symptoms, cause and treatment.  If we are successful in providing you some information, do help others around you to share this information either through conversation or sharing this article. Do clear your doubts if any.  We will help you in that.  


STAY AWARE TO STAY HEALTHY


Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org
http://thyroid.org/what-is-hyperthyroidism
http://chriskresser.com/thyroid
http://thyroid.org/?s=Hyperthyroidism
http://thyroid.about.com
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
picture resources
www.greeneggzine.com 
www.tabletsmanual.com
agbeat.com 
www.metabolicleader.com 
www.royalfree.nhs.uk -


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