Hyperthyroidism is a condition where you have a hyperactive thyroid gland or an overproduction of thyroid hormones. These thyroid hormones are very important to your body because they control metabolism of all cells. However, in abundance, these hormones are toxic to your body, hence the other term for hyperthyroidism is toxic goiter. It is important to consult your ENT doctor or endocrinologist when you have symptoms of hyperthyroidism
What causes toxic goiter?
There are many conditions that can cause hyperthyroidism. The most common cause of hyperthyroidism is Grave’s disease. This is an autoimmune condition where your immune system mistakenly attacks the healthy tissue in your own thyroid gland and causes it to release too many thyroid hormones. Another cause of hyperthyroidism is if you have nodules or lumps in your thyroid that hyper-produce thyroid hormones and do not respond to the signals that regulates hormone balance. Another reason may be certain medications that increase the iodine levels in the body, or use of thyroid hormone medications. Other causes could be swelling or inflammation of your thyroid gland. Rarely, thyroid cancers could also affect the production of thyroid hormones.
What are the symptoms of hyperthyroidism?
Whenever I see patients with hyperthyroid patients, the easiest way to explain their symptoms is that they feel like they are running a marathon, even if they are at rest. Every cell in the body depends on thyroid hormones for regulation of metabolism, or the cell’s consumption of energy.
So how exactly do you feel when you are running fast?
You feel hyperactive, you find it difficult to stay still, you always feel anxious or nervous or more irritable than usual. You feel tired all the time, again because you are hypermetabolic, meaning the cells of your body are consuming more energy than usual. Despite being tired, hyperthyroid patients complain of difficulty sleeping or having very light sleep. Hand tremors may also be present, which may be a result of excessive nervous stimulation. Because of your hypermetabolic state, you may also feel hot and sweaty all the time, even if you’re in a cold environment. Most patients have palpitations and some have difficulty breathing with even just light activity. Some patients complain of weight loss even if they eat a lot, and some complain of diarrhea or having bowel movements too often in the day. Other patients may complain of hair loss and and irregular menstrual cycle. Some may complain of brain fog or difficulty concentrating.
What will your ENT doctor or Endocrinologist check for?
We check your general well-being first, like if you appear agitated and restless, or too underweight. We also check if you have an enlarged neck or a neck mass. We also check your heart rate if it is above 100 beats per minute.
We also ask you to raise your hands to check for fine finger tremors. We also check if you have what is called a thyroid stare, or the appearance that the eyeball is bulging, as eye symptoms are common in Grave’s disease. It would also be helpful for us if you would share all your symptoms as well as any medications you have been taking.
In this blog, we have discussed the causes and the common signs and symptoms of hyperthyroidism. In this next blog, we will be discussing the tests needed, as well as treatment options if you have hyperthyroidism.
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