Unfortunately, hyperthyroidism is considered one of the most common diseases of the organs of internal secretion. It is also interesting that in women such a disease appears about 7-8 times more often than in men. Hyperfunction of the thyroid gland is a rather dangerous disease that requires careful diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
Hyperthyroidism: causes . In fact, there are a lot of reasons for the development of such a disease. Quite often, hyperthyroidism appears as a result of an excess of iodine in the body. This happens when a person takes high doses of iodine on his own without any special need, as well as with the constant and unnecessary use of preventive drugs to protect the thyroid gland.
In addition, the cause of hyperfunction can be severe trauma or severe nervous strain, constant stress or severe tragedy in life. Sometimes such a disease manifests itself against the background of inflammatory processes in the tissues of the gland. In some cases, increased function may be the result of a previous severe bacterial infection. There is a factor of genetics.
Hyperthyroidism: Symptoms . The increased release of thyroid-stimulating hormones into the blood causes active breakdown of glycogen and protein stores. That is why signs of hyperthyroidism can be considered strong weight loss, increased secretion of sweat and thermal energy, as well as a constant feeling of intense heat and tachycardia.
In addition, over time, a sick person begins to complain of severe weakness in the muscles, trembling limbs, and sometimes all parts of the body. An increased concentration of hormones also affects the nervous system, causing strong excitability.
In some cases, the thyroid gland is greatly enlarged and changes in its size are visible even to the naked eye. Another, quite characteristic symptom is buccal eye. It can be accompanied by increased and abundant secretion of tears, as well as swelling of the eyelids and skin around the eye. It is worth mentioning that sometimes hyperthyroidism is not accompanied by exfoliation.
Hyperthyroidism: treatment. In modern medicine, three main methods of treating hyperthyroidism are used - conservative, surgical, and also a method using radioactive iodine.
The choice of the treatment method depends on the patient’s condition, the form of the disease, the stage of its development, as well as some individual characteristics of the patient’s body, for example, age characteristics or the presence of allergies.
Pharmacological treatment involves the use of special drugs that instantly reduce the level of hormones produced. As a rule, even a short-term intake of such drugs causes noticeable improvements in the patient's condition. Subsequently, a person should take the minimum dose of these medicines throughout the year to fully recover. In no case should you stop taking it without the advice of an endocrinologist, as the result of this may be recurrent forms of the disease. In addition, during treatment, the patient should undergo regular checks, since taking certain drugs can cause hypofunction.
Surgical treatment involves the partial removal of thyroid tissue. In this case, the patient’s body remains part of the gland, which is sufficient for the normal functioning of the body. This method is used only with severe goiter, as well as if pharmacological preparations do not work.
Iodine treatment is based on the enhanced absorption of this element by the thyroid gland. In this case, radioactive iodine, which is absorbed by the tissues of the gland, irradiates it from the inside and significantly reduces the level of hormones synthesized by it.