Hashimoto Thyroiditis Hashimoto thyroiditis, also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis or autoimmune thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease (An illness that occurs when the body tissues are attacked by its own immune system) that attacks the thyroid gland causing inflammation and interfering with its ability to produce thyroid hormones. Hashimoto thyroiditis is known to be the most common form of thyroiditis and also the most common thyroid disorder in America. According to Womenshealth.gov (May 18, 2010) Hashimoto’s has been known to affect women seven times more than men. Patients who have been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease often have family members who have thyroid or other autoimmune diseases. The thyroid is a butterfly shaped …show more content…
Levothyroxine is also known as thyroid replacement therapy, because it restores back to normal the T4 that the damaged thyroid can no longer produce. The exact dose of levothyroxine depends on Age, weight, and the severity of the underactive thyroid. Other considerations include if the patient has other health issues or if the patient is taking other medications that could interact with levothyroxine. Once a patient begins treatment they will need to schedule a follow up TSH test so the provider can fine tune the dose. If the dose of the medication is too high it causes the thyroid hormone levels to become too high, causing hyperthyroidism. Heart problems and bone loss can be a result of too much thyroid hormone. So it is imperative to find the correct dosage. Thyroid hormones act very slowly in the body taking it several months for the patient to notice any improvements of their symptoms. The provider will need to see a patient less often once the TSH levels become normal. An annual checkup and blood test are recommended to evaluate the TSH levels and insure that the patient is maintaining proper levels of thyroid hormone. Usually, the same treatment dose works for many years and often does not need to be adjusted until the patient reaches the age of 70 or 80 (womenshealth.gov, May 18,
Hypothyroidism develops when the thyroid gland does not produce enough of certain hormones. (“Hypothyroidism”, n.d.). Hypothyroidism can be broken down even further. The two types of hypothyroidism are congenital hypothyroidism or acquired hypothyroidism. According to Porth 2011, “Congenital hypothyroidism develops prenatally and is present at birth. Acquired hypothyroidism develops later in life because of primary disease of the thyroid gland or secondary to disorders of hypothalamic or pituitary origin.” (p. 786). Some common symptoms include increased sensitivity to cold, dry skin, fatigue, constipation, drowsiness, hypothermia and muscle weakness (“Hypothyroidism”, n.d.).
Thyroid and metabolism hormones play a large role in the daily lives of all living species. Thyroid hormones regulate the metabolism and the metabolism is responsible for maintaining a specific range for the biochemical reactions that occur in the body (Martini 2014). The most important hormone for metabolic maintenance is thyroxine (T4). This hormone also plays a large role in body heat regulation. It is produced by the pituitary gland and secreted by the thyroid gland. The thyroid releasing hormone (TRH) must trigger the thyroid stimulating hormones (TSH) to release thyroid hormones to the thyroid gland. These hormones are under control of the hypothalamus, or main neural control center. Propylthiouracil (PTU) is a medication used to treat
Tumors or Lesions to the Hypothalamus Patient The Hypothalamus is a small area near the base of the brain just ventral to the thalamus. It has widespread connections with the rest of the forebrain and the midbrain. Partly through nerves and partly through hypothalamic hormones, the hypothalamus conveys messages to the pituitary gland, altering its release of hormones (Kalat, 2003). Any type of damage to a hypothalamic nucleus, such as tumors or lesions, may lead to abnormalities in one or more motivated behaviors, such as feeding, drinking, temperature regulation, sexual behavior, fighting, or activity level.
Hypothyroidism is an endocrine disorder that effects the lives of many people. In hypothyroidism, the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone, causing an array of symptoms such as fatigue, weight gain, depression, swelling of limbs, lack of focus and many more. The current standard of treatment of hypothyroidism is hormone replacement therapy with a synthetic form of thyroxine (T4) called Levothyroxine or T4 Monotherapy. The whole idea behind T4 Monotherapy is that the Levothyroxine (which is a synthetic version of the natural thyroid hormone thyroxine) will mimic what occurs naturally in the body, and be deiodinated in the peripheral tissues to become the more biologically active thyroid hormone triiodothyronine (T3) and thus, alleviating the patients symptoms. Unfortunately, this however, is not always the case. For some patients, even though they are in the therapeutic range using T4 monotherapy, their bodies aren’t properly converting the synthetic T4 to active T3. Because of this, coupled with the invention of the internet, patients are turning to search engines in hopes to find an answer that will alleviate their symptoms, which has led to a resurgence in the use of desiccated thyroid products. Desiccated thyroid is derived from porcine thyroid glands, and contain both T4 and T3 thyroid hormones. Some alternative medical practioners are claiming there is more benefit in this natural product vs synthetic, but perhaps we need to take a closer look into the alternative treatment options of hypothyroidism- such as desiccated products, and why natural might not always be better.
It was a normal evening in the Maloney home. Mrs. Mary Maloney sat sewing, while waiting for her husband to return home after an involved day as a police officer. Around 5 o’clock Mr. Maloney returns home with shocking news and… Bang! …a leg of lamb hit over his head and Mr. Maloney falls to the ground dead. All evidence and theories, point to Mrs. Maloney being the killer of her husband, but why? Mrs. Maloney did not kill her husband out of anger after the recent marriage incident, but she did it as a result of mental anguish, self defense and trauma inflicted upon her by her husband. All these events explain exactly why Mrs. Maloney murdered her husband out of reasonable measures.
Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) is an inherited condition that affects hormone production in the adrenal gland. The individual lacks enzymes to make cortisol, and hormones are instead are shifted away to make other hormones, specifically androgens. This results in the deficiency of cortisol and the abundance of testosterone.
Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disease that was discovered by Robert Graves in 1835. Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks the thyroid gland and causes hyperthyroidism. Graves’ disease occurs when the antibodies like thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin and thyrotropin receptor antibodies (TRAbs) attack the thyroid gland as if it were a foreign object or a virus of some sort. This disease is the most common type of hyperthyroidism. Attacking the thyroid gland in such a manner makes it excessively overproduce the hormone thyroxine which controls the body’s metabolic rate. Heightened activity of the thyroid can increase the body’s metabolism by 60% to 100%. (Weeks 34-35).
Today in America thyroid disease is becoming a much larger issue and the worse part of this problem is that many people are not yet diagnosed. This is due to the lack of education and awareness about thyroid disease. There are many different types of diseases but the one that I am passionate about is hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid is when the thyroid is no longer able to produce triiodothyronine, also known as T3 and thyroxine, also referred to as T4. Some of the symptoms include unexpected weight gain, tiredness, depression, or slow movements and thoughts. Most of the time many people notice the way that their bodies act on what they are feeling to their physicians. Many Americans struggle with this disease that
The reasons why are unclear, but there is a sharp distinction between male and female thyroid cancer rates - females tend to develop the cancer more by nearly three times as often (“What Are the Risk Factors for Thyroid...
If you have too little of thyroid hormones, it is called hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism symptoms include feeling tired, gaining weight, and grogginess. The amount of the hormone released from the thyroid gland is regulated by the pituitary glan...
The thyroid is the energy generator of the body. All of us experience fatigue at some time in our lives because of lack of sleep, overwork, or stress. For individuals with hypothyroidism, fatigue is a way of life. There never seems to be enough energy. But, you don’t have to feel this way. For those who suffer from hypothyroidism, there is HOPE.
Graves’ disease is considered an auto immune disorder. It is also a hyperthyroid disorder that leads to the over activity of the thyroid gland. Graves’ disease is a condition that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. Many people suffer from symptoms. This paper will talk about the causes of the disease, research that has been conducted and how it can be treated.
The thyroid gland is found in the front of the neck and produces two main hormones. The hormones are called thuroxine (T4) and Triiodothyronine (T3). Together these hormones regulate the body’s metabolism by increasing energy use in cells, regulate growth and development, help to maintain body temperature and aid in oxygen consumption. These two hormones are regulated by hormones produced by the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. The hypothalamus senses changes in body’s metabolic rate and releases a hormone known as thyropin-releasing hormone (TRH). This hormone then flows through connecting vessels to the pituitary gland which signals it to release another hormone. This hormone is known as thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). TSH then makes its way to the bloodstream until it reaches the thyroid where it is then signaled to activate T3 and T4 production [1]. This mechanism is controlled by a negative feedback loop meaning that when there is a sufficient amount of thyroid hormones in the blood stream, this will signal back to stop production of thyroid stimulating hormones. Complications occur when the thyroid hormones keep increasing even though there is already a sufficient amount of T3 and T4 in the blood stream. This process of over expression of thryroid hormones is known as hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism is a general term that includes any disease that has a consequence of an overabundance of thyroid hormones. Hyperthyroidism is a general term but there are many variant diseases that are in the hyperthyroidism category. These diseases include diffuse toxic goiter, Basedow’s disease, thyrotoxicosis, Parry’s and Graves’ disease.
Thyroid cancer is one of the more uncommon types of cancers in the United States. This type of cancer is three times more likely to affect women rather than men (Sarge 1). Even though, it is a rare type of cancer to contract, women are at a higher risk to contract or have already contracted thyroid cancer. In the novel, Hazel Grace, the main character, is a teenage female who has papillary cancer that has metastasized to the lungs. Thyroid cancer is most commonly found in people over the age of 30 (Petit 1). Only a small portion of cancers are diagnosed a year. According to recent survey, about 11,000 cases of thyroid cancer are diagnosed a year, which is not a great deal when compared to other cancers (Thyroid Cancer 1). In addition to this cancer being more prevalent in women, there are certain ethnic groups that have a greater chance of having this...
Papillary Carcinoma a lot of times grows very slowly. Typically mature in only one of the lobes of the thyroid gland, in patients under the age of forty-five. Cancer often spreads to the lymph nodes in the neck, still resulting in treatment which is usually successful and is rarely fatal. Papillary carcinoma is most likely to affect women that are in their childbearing stages in life. According to MedicineNet.com, “About eight of ten thyro...