Do you have drowsiness, poor performance, depression, and irritability? These may be thyroid problems. Everything speaks of the lack of one, but very important element. Excess iodine in the body, as well as its deficiency, can adversely affect human health. We’ll talk about this now, but first, about the element itself.
Trace in the human body
Iodine synthesizes the thyroid hormone, which causes metabolism, converts food into energy, affects the growth and development of organs.
This trace element is involved in:
- energy metabolism and regulates body temperature;
- protein and fat metabolism, water-electrolyte metabolism;
- processes of growth, neuropsychological development and development of all organs;
- metabolism and speed of biochemical reactions.
In addition to all of the above, iodine has a beneficial effect on the body’s consumption of oxygen, burning excess fat, the work of the brain, the health of the skin, teeth, nails, hair.
So that an excess of iodine in the body does not create problems, you should know that the average daily intake of this microelement should be from one hundred twenty to one hundred and fifty micrograms, but not more than three hundred micrograms.
In order for the body to receive its required amount, seafood (kelp, cod, herring, shrimp, etc.), iodized salt, milk, eggs and beef liver, onions, white cabbage, carrots must be included in the diet. As for vegetables, there is one condition: all of them must be grown on the soil with a sufficient amount of iodine.
Causes and symptoms of micronutrient excess
The situation when there is too much iodine is quite rare. Most often, this problem threatens production workers where frequent emissions of the element occur, or those who do not control its intake with iodine-containing vitamins and supplements.
These people have the following signs of excess iodine in the body:
- Changes in appearance: thin hair that turned gray early, tremors in the hands, severe sweating, weight loss, heat intolerance, a constant feeling of hunger.
- Health condition: cough, frequent headaches and dizziness, poor digestive tract function, conjunctivitis and lacrimation.
- Psychoemotional state: thirst, frequent urination, sleep disturbance, anxiety and irritability.
Symptoms of an excess of trace elements can also include increased body temperature without any inflammatory processes that occur in the body; eyeballs; swelling of the thyroid and parotid glands.
An excess of iodine is more dangerous than its lack. An overdose of this trace element can lead to chronic inflammation of the cells in the thyroid gland and its hyperfunction (when the thyroid gland produces too many hormones). Peptide bioregulators can help repair damaged cells. In Russia, the first brand of peptide bioregulators are cytamines - a line of 16 drugs aimed at different organs. To improve thyroid function, a peptide bioregulator has been developed - . The components for tyramine are obtained from the thyroid glands of cattle, they are a complex of proteins and nucleoproteins that have a selective effect on thyroid cells, which helps to restore its function. Tyramine is recommended for use in violation of the thyroid gland, hypo- and hyperfunction, tumor processes in the glandular tissue. As a prophylactic, tyramine is advisable to use for people living in areas endemic for thyroid diseases. Tiramine is also recommended for older and older people to maintain thyroid function.
If the poisoning is severe, then diarrhea and vomiting may occur.
An excess of iodine in a woman’s body is still accompanied by a menstrual cycle, and in case of pregnancy can cause premature birth and miscarriage.
Forms of the disease and its consequences
Excess iodine in the body causes the disease iodism. It has two forms: acute and chronic.
Acute poisoning occurs when a large amount of a microelement is consumed in a short period of time or if it is accidentally inhaled.
The second form - chronic - develops gradually. Most often, it is diagnosed in people associated with a certain production, or in those who are incorrectly assigned a treatment regimen with drugs containing iodine. The chronic stage of the disease is difficult to determine, its symptoms coincide with the signs of other ailments.
If you do not make a timely diagnosis of "excess iodine in the body," the consequences can be unpredictable. When two grams of this trace element get into the body, death occurs.
The consequences of iodism can also include:
- burns of the mucous membrane;
- a change in the functioning of the liver and kidneys;
- disruption of the central nervous and cardiovascular systems;
- swelling of the tissue;
- an allergy.
Diagnosis of the disease
To make a diagnosis of "excess iodine in the body", a specialist examines:
- first, a person’s medical history is studied and analyzed;
- at the second stage, the patient's professional activity is studied;
- then, an external examination of the patient is carried out: the doctor checks for damage to the mucous membrane and acne on the chest and face, determines whether iodine is felt;
- a laboratory examination is prescribed: a blood and urine test, the ICP-AES method is used.
For an accurate diagnosis, additional studies will be prescribed for various parameters, depending on which organ (thyroid, skin, liver, kidney, salivary glands) is detected iodine accumulation.
A blood test determines the composition of the thyroid hormones, the pituitary gland.
Urinalysis - sets the amount of iodine in urine.
The ICP-AES method helps to determine the amount of iodine on a small part of the nail.
The analysis is carried out on a special instrument. The principle of operation is the determination of the wavelength of light that emits a specific trace element.
Treatment
An excess of iodine in the body cannot be ignored; treatment should be prescribed by a specialist and take place under his supervision.
Acute poisoning:
- the skin is washed using a two percent soda solution;
- a solution of sodium thiosulfate (five percent) is used for gastric lavage - this drug is used as an antitoxic agent;
- in case of poisoning with iodine salts, sodium thiosulfate is administered intravenously.
Adverse reactions may appear in the form of allergies and spikes in blood pressure.
For the treatment of chronic iodism, it is necessary:
- prevent the entry of trace elements into the body;
- refuse to work in hazardous industries;
- go on a salt-free diet;
- without fail to exclude the use of vitamin complexes and additives containing iodine;
- if there has been a violation of water-salt metabolism, infusion therapy is performed.
Folk remedies for the treatment of iodism are a supplement. In order to neutralize the effect of the trace element, milk, butter, eggs, jelly on starch are used.
Prevention and prognosis
Disease prevention begins with the appointment
Children under five years of age should not be prescribed iodine preparations. For treatment of wounds, it is advisable to use "Iodinol."
As for the forecasts, they are favorable. After following the doctor’s recommendations, the symptoms that indicate that there is an excess of iodine in the human body disappear after a while. Difficulties may arise with the healing of wounds obtained by contact of iodine crystals with the skin.
Conclusion
Watch your health. Know that any, even the most useful substance, if there is too much of it, can harm the body. It is exactly the same with a trace element such as iodine. Its shortage, as well as an oversupply, can lead to big problems.