HYPERTHYROIDISM
Just above your collarbone, at the bottom of your neck, is
your thyroid. It’s a butterfly-shaped gland that controls things
like how fast your heart beats and how quickly you burn off
calories. It releases hormones to help regulate your
body’s metabolism(all the things your body does to turn food
into energy and keep you going).
If you have hyperthyroidism, it means your thyroid is
overactive and produces too much of
a hormone called thyroxine. It can significantly speed up
your metabolism and cause unpleasant symptoms.
How Do I Know if I Have Hyperthyroidism?
Some common signs include:
Feeling nervous, anxious, or irritable
Experiencing mood swings
Feeling very tired or weak
Sensitivity to heat
An enlarged thyroid (goiter). This can make the base of
your neck look swollen.
Losing weight suddenly with no known cause
Fast or irregular heartbeat or palpitations (pounding in
your heart)
Increased frequency in your bowel movements
Shaking in your hands and fingers (tremor)
Sleep problems
Thinning skin
Changes in your hair that make it fine and brittle
Changes in your menstrual cycle
These are less likely to show up if you’re an older adult, but
sometimes there will be subtle symptoms. These can include a
faster heart rate or you could be more sensitive to hot
temperatures. Or you could just feel more tired than usual
from everyday activities.
Certain medicines can cover up the signs of hyperthyroidism.
If you take beta blockers to treat high blood pressure or
another condition, you might not know you have it. Be sure
your doctor knows about all the medications you take.
When you first get hyperthyroidism, you may feel very
energetic. This is because your metabolism is sped up. But
over time, this increase in your metabolism can break your
body down, and cause you to feel tired.
Usually, hyperthyroidism develops slowly over time, but if
you’re young when you get it, the symptoms might come on
suddenly.
Hyperthyroidism and Graves’ Disease
The most common cause of hyperthyroidism is an immune
system disorder called Graves’ disease. It’s more likely to
affect women under the age of 40.
In addition to the other symptoms of hyperthyroidism, about
30% of people with Graves’ disease develop a condition
called Graves’ ophthalmopathy. It affects
your eyes and vision, including the muscles and tissues
around them. You may experience:
Bulging of your eyes (exophthalmos)
A gritty feeling or pain/pressure in your eyes
Redness or inflammation in or around your eyes
Puffiness or retraction of your eyelids
Sensitivity to light
Double vision or loss of vision
Sometimes people with Graves’ disease also develop a
symptom called Graves’ dermopathy, but this is rarer. It
involves redness and thickening of your skin, usually on the
tops of your feet or your shins.
Hyperthyroidism is another name for an overactive thyroid.
It’s when the butterfly-shaped gland in your neck produces
too much thyroid hormone.
This can happen for many different reasons. You’re more
likely to develop it if you’re a woman, if you’ve had
other thyroid problems, or if you’re over the age of 60.
It’s important to work with your doctor to find the cause
because it can affect your treatment.
What Your Thyroid Does
Two major hormones that affect how your body works are
produced in your thyroid. These are called thyroxine (T-4) and
triiodothyronine (T-3). Their job is to help keep your heart
rate, body temperature, and other body functions working
right. They do this by helping your body use carbohydrates
and fats the way it’s supposed to.
Another important hormone your thyroid produces is called
calcitonin, and this helps keep a healthy amount of calcium in
your blood.
Why Your Body Might Make Too Much Thyroid Hormone
Most people with hyperthyroidism have a condition called
Graves’ disease. This accounts for 70% of the cases.
Normally, the antibodies in your blood go after bacteria, but if
you have Graves’ disease, the antibodies turn on your thyroid
instead. This causes the gland to produce too much T-4
thyroid hormone.
Doctors aren’t sure why some people get Graves’ disease, but
it tends to run in families. It’s also more common in young
women.
Other conditions linked to hyperthyroidism include:
Plummer’s disease. This happens when one or more sections
on your thyroid develop lumps that aren’t cancer. These lumps
can make your thyroid grow bigger and produce too much T-4
hormone.
Plummer’s disease is more common in older people.
Thyroiditis. This can push your thyroid into overdrive for a
short period of time. With this condition, your thyroid is
swollen for unknown reasons. This swelling can force
hormones out of your thyroid and into your bloodstream.
Thyroiditis can happen:
After pregnancy
When you get a virus or another problem with
your immune system
If you take too much thyroid medication
