Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) is a condition in which your thyroid gland produces too much of the hormone thyroxine. Hyperthyroidism can significantly accelerate your body's metabolism, causing sudden weight loss, a rapid or irregular heartbeat, sweating, and nervousness or irritability.
Several treatment options are available if you have hyperthyroidism. Doctors use anti-thyroid medications and radioactive iodine to slow the production of thyroid hormones. Sometimes, treatment of hyperthyroidism involves surgery to remove part of your thyroid gland. Although hyperthyroidism can be serious if you ignore it, most people respond well once hyperthyroidism is diagnosed and treated.
The thyroid gland produces triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) hormones; these are mainly responsible for metabolism in the body. And either overproduction or underproduction of these hormones will result in complications. This condition develops slowly; hence the symptoms are mistaken for stress and general body weakness, especially in aged people.
The thyroid gland is located in the neck, and is shaped like a butterfly, with two wings and a part in between. It is found that women are more prone to hyperthyroidism than men, and the age where this condition is most common is between 20 and 50.
Several diseases and conditions can contribute to hyperthyroidism such as –
Grave’s disease
Consuming excessive iodine
Intake of thyroid hormones
Thyroiditis – inflammation or infection of the thyroid gland
Toxic multinodular goiter
Toxic thyroid adenoma
Thyroid nodules found in the body
Grave’s disease is often the most common disease that is the cause of hyperthyroidism.
Many people do not recognize these symptoms, and very often they are mistaken to be symptoms of aging, stress or other conditions. The most common symptoms of hyperthyroidism include –
Weight loss
Hair loss
Weakness
Fatigue
Nervousness
Heat intolerance
Weakness of muscles
Goiter
Trouble falling asleep
Nausea
Lack of menstruation
Difficulty sleeping
Frequent bowel movements
Diarrhea
High blood pressure
Bulging of eyes
Increase in sweating
Jitteriness
Apart from a physical examination where the doctor checks the patient for certain symptoms such as goiter, excessive sweating, sudden weight loss, tremors etc, the doctor will also take a blood test to confirm the condition. The best method to find out if the patient has hyperthyroidism is by measuring the blood TSH level. This blood test will show if there is an abnormal increase in the T3 and T4 hormones.
Hyperthyroidism can be treated with the help of:
Antithyroid drugs
Radioactive iodine
Thyroid scan
Or by performing surgery to remove the thyroid gland.
By using antithyroid medications and radioactive iodine, the production of hormone is considerably slowed down. These options are usually very effective, which is why surgical treatment is rare. The treatment depends on how severe the symptoms are and other factors as well, such as the age of the patient, allergies, etc. The primary goal behind the treatment is to make sure the thyroid hormone is brought down to a normal level. Hence, taking care of any severe complications as well as relieving the present symptoms of the patient. It is important to note that the thyroid hormone level will not jump back to normal immediately; sometimes it may take months or even years. Consuming medicine is not the only way to treat thyroid, other factors such as a proper diet, adequate sleep and a healthy lifestyle are also required. The patient will find an immediate difference in the lifestyle as soon as the medications prescribed by the doctor are taken. It will make their life more comfortable and provide the needed relief.