hyperthyroidism
Sign in to saveHyperthyroidism is a endocrine disease in which the thyroid gland produces excessive amounts of thyroid hormones. Thyrotoxicosis is a condition that occurs due to elevated levels of thyroid hormones of any cause and therefore includes hyperthyroidism. Some, however, use the terms interchangeably. Signs and symptoms vary between people and may include irritability, muscle weakness, sleeping problems, a fast heartbeat, heat intolerance, diarrhea, enlargement of the thyroid, hand tremor, and weight loss. Symptoms are typically less severe in the elderly and during pregnancy. An uncommon but life-
AI overview
Hyperthyroidism is a condition where the thyroid gland produces too much thyroid hormone, leading to a range of symptoms like irritability, muscle weakness, sleep problems, rapid heartbeat, heat intolerance, diarrhea, and weight loss. It matters because these symptoms can significantly affect daily functioning and quality of life, though symptoms vary between individuals and may be less severe in elderly people and during pregnancy.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Medical condition.name
- Hyperthyroidism
- Medical condition.image
- Triiodothyronine.svg
- Medical condition.caption
- Triiodothyronine (T3, pictured) and thyroxine (T4) are both forms of thyroid hormone.
- Medical condition.field
- Endocrinology
- Medical condition.synonyms
- Overactive thyroid, hyperthyreosis
- Medical condition.symptoms
- Irritability, muscle weakness, sleeping problems, fast heartbeat, heat intolerance, diarrhea, enlargement of the thyroid, weight loss
- Medical condition.complications
- Thyroid storm
- Medical condition.onset
- 20–50 years old
- Medical condition.causes
- Graves' disease, multinodular goiter, toxic adenoma, inflammation of the thyroid, eating too much iodine, too much synthetic thyroid hormone
- Medical condition.diagnosis
- Based on symptoms and confirmed by blood tests
- Medical condition.treatment
Article
25 sectionsContents
- Signs and symptoms
- Thyroid storm
- Hypothyroidism
- Causes
- Diagnosis
- Subclinical
- Screening
- Treatment
- Antithyroid drugs
- Beta-blockers
- Diet
- Surgery
- Radioiodine
- Thyroid storm
- Alternative medicine
- Epidemiology
- History
- Pregnancy
- Other animals
- Cats
- Dogs
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
Hyperthyroidism is a endocrine disease in which the thyroid gland produces excessive amounts of thyroid hormones. Thyrotoxicosis is a condition that occurs due to elevated levels of thyroid hormones of any cause and therefore includes hyperthyroidism. Some, however, use the terms interchangeably. Signs and symptoms vary between people and may include irritability, muscle weakness, sleeping problems, a fast heartbeat, heat intolerance, diarrhea, enlargement of the thyroid, hand tremor, and weight loss. Symptoms are typically less severe in the elderly and during pregnancy. An uncommon but life-threatening complication is thyroid storm in which an event such as an infection results in worsening symptoms such as confusion and a high temperature; this often results in death. The opposite is hypothyroidism, when the thyroid gland does not make enough thyroid hormone.
Graves' disease is the cause of about 50% to 80% of the cases of hyperthyroidism in the United States. Other causes include multinodular goiter, toxic adenoma, inflammation of the thyroid, eating too much iodine, and too much synthetic thyroid hormone. A less common cause is a pituitary adenoma. The diagnosis may be suspected based on signs and symptoms and then confirmed with blood tests. Typically blood tests show a low thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and raised T3 or T4. Radioiodine uptake by the thyroid, thyroid scan, and measurement of antithyroid autoantibodies (thyroidal thyrotropin receptor antibodies are positive in Graves' disease) may help determine the cause.