Hyperthyroidism: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Hyperthyroidism is the condition which occurs when the thyroid gland starts making and secreting too much thyroid hormone which results in a condition called an overactive thyroid that boosts up your metabolism in the body. The early diagnosis and treatment of hyperthyroidism can help the patient get some relief from their symptoms and can prevent severe complications. In some cases, several health conditions can lead to hyperthyroidism, most commonly caused by Graves’ disease.  The hyperactive condition of the thyroid gland more commonly occurs in women than men between the ages of 20 to 40 years.

What is Hyperthyroidism?

Hyperthyroidism conditions occur when the thyroid which is a small, butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your neck produces more amount of thyroid hormone. This gland is responsible for the body’s metabolism and controls the way the body uses energy. This hormone can affect nearly every organ in your body and control many bodily functions. For example, it affects your breathing, heart rate, weight, digestion, and moods and if it is not treated then hyperthyroidism can cause serious problems with your heart, bones, and muscles, So, it is always advisable to seek medical help when diagnosed with the condition of hyperthyroidism.

Symptoms of Hyperthyroidism

There is a wide range of hyperthyroidism symptoms that can impact your entire body. The major ones are:

• Rapid or irregular heartbeat
• Unintentional Weight loss
• Nervousness, anxiety and irritability
• Increased appetite in the younger generation
• Diarrhoea and more frequent bowel movements
• Blurry vision
• Shaky hands and tremors sometimes
• Impaired muscles that result in weakness in the body
• Urge to pee more frequently
• Persistent thirst
• Loss of interest in sex
• Women can notice some menstrual changes monthly
• Trouble tolerating those results in excessive sweating in the body
• A person experiences sleep issue
• Hair loss and change in hair texture
• Bulging of the eyes that can be seen with Graves disease
• Mood swings
• A person may experience a condition; Goiter in which the thyroid gland gets enlarged which may cause the neck to look swollen. The symptoms may vary based on the age of a person as it is noticed that older people start losing their appetite and feel disconnected from society

Causes of Hyperthyroidism

Discussed below are some of the major hyperthyroidism causes:

• Graves’s disease: It is an autoimmune disorder in which your immune system attacks your thyroid which makes your thyroid create too much thyroid hormone. Graves’ disease is a hereditary condition that can pass down in the family if any member of your family has this disease, then there are more chances that others in the family could have it, too. This disease is more commonly reported in females at birth than in males. Graves’s disease is known to be the major cause of hyperthyroidism which makes up to 85% of cases.
• Thyroid nodules: If any sort of nodule or lumps of cell growth is seen in the thyroid gland then it is said to be thyroid nodule which is rarely cancerous.
• Thyroiditis: It is the inflammation of your thyroid gland which is mostly painless and may appear post-delivering a baby in women, a condition known as postpartum thyroiditis. If in case your thyroid has not recovered then it may lead to hypothyroidism.
• Consuming excess iodine: Excessive intake of iodine in your body increases the risk for hyperthyroidism that activates your thyroid gland and more thyroid hormone is produced in your body. Some sort of treatment and medication can also increase the chances of hyperthyroidism. If in case a patient is receiving intravenous iodinated contrast (iodine “dye”) then he may be at risk of getting hyperthyroidism. The medicine name, Amiodarone contains a high amount of iodine that may also cause hyperthyroidism. Other medicines that may cause hyperthyroidism are cough syrups, seaweed and seaweed-based supplements.
• Too much thyroid medicine: If a person is taking too much of medicines to treat hypothyroidism (underactive hypothyroidism) can also be affected.

Thyroid Eye Disease

This disease is also known as Graves’s ophthalmopathy which involves your vision and eyes including muscles and tissues around them. With Graves’ disease, your immune system attacks your thyroid gland, causing it to make more thyroid hormones due to which a person shows symptoms like:

• Bulging eyes
• Puffy eyelids that are pulled back
• Redness, pain and swelling in the eye.
• Sensitivity to light
• Double vision 
• Loss of vision

Thyroid eye disease can cause serious health problems, including

• Osteoporosis
• Stroke or heart failure
• Vision impairment
• Muscle problems etc.

How is Hyperthyroidism Diagnosed?

To diagnose hyperthyroidism, a doctor may ask for your medical history and family history to evaluate the chances of hyperthyroidism. Other parameters that doctor considers to diagnose hyperthyroidism are based on symptoms, clinical signs, and lab tests. Thyroid function test: T4, free T4, and T3 level test to measure thyroid hormone (T4 and T3) in your blood. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level test is a pituitary gland hormone. A healthcare professional will take blood samples to look for high levels of thyroid hormone, called thyroid function testing. If the result shows hyperthyroidism, then in that case levels of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4 are above normal and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) is lower than normal.

A thyroid scan is done in which the doctor will see if your thyroid is overactive by measuring the amount of iodine present in your bloodstream. So to perform this test, the doctor will give us a small tablet or liquid amount of iodine that will run in your body and a thyroid scan will be performed that reveals whether the entire gland or just a single area is causing the problem. Ultrasound of the thyroid is done to measure the size of the entire thyroid gland and to look for thyroid nodules that can affect the functioning of the thyroid gland. CT or MRI scans are done to look for any pituitary tumour if is present.

How is Hyperthyroidism Treated?

There are many treatment options available depending on the cause of hyperthyroidism. The endocrinologist will suggest your treatment plan based on the result of a test done to diagnose this problem. The treatment includes antithyroid drugs. Antithyroid drugs are given to stop the thyroid gland from producing too much thyroid hormone as these drugs block the ability of your thyroid to make hormones e.g., methimazole. However, if a person is pregnant, a doctor may recommend the drug propylthiouracil instead of methimazole as it has a negative effect on the fetus and the pregnant lady can switch to methimazole later in the pregnancy based on the functioning of the thyroid gland. Some medicine related to the treatment of the thyroid has adverse effects on your health as they may cause: allergic reactions, increased chances of infection as WBC count gets low, and liver failure in rare cases.

Radioactive iodine is another treatment. Radioactive medicine is a type of oral medication that overactive thyroid cells. When the medicine is absorbed by the thyroid cells, it damages and shrinks these cells due to which thyroid hormone levels go down over a few weeks. This method can lead to permanent destruction of the thyroid cells which will cure hyperthyroidism cases of the patient. In this method, the amount of radiation absorbed by this medication is different from the amount used for the radioactive iodine uptake (RAIU) test and scan for diagnosis.

Another option is surgery. The surgery can be done to remove all parts of the thyroid gland if other treatments are not feasible. Such treatment can be done in patients living with cancer where other treatments are not possible. The removal of the thyroid gland with surgery (known as thyroidectomy) can correct the hyperthyroidism in the patient. After thyroidectomy, we might have chances of getting hypothyroidism which can be corrected by taking a hormone supplement. If case parathyroid gland is also removed along with the thyroid gland then we might need medicines to maintain your calcium level

Beta-blockers are a growingly popular treatment for hyperthyroidism. Beta-blockers cannot treat hyperthyroidism but can help in reducing the symptoms by blocking the action of thyroid hormones on the body and thus can help manage symptoms caused by hyperthyroidism. This treatment is usually done with other treatment plans to treat hyperthyroidism over the long term.

Treatment for Eye-Related Problems

The treatment for eye-related problems depends upon the severity of the problem in the eyes.

• Medicines: If your thyroid eye disease symptoms are not severe then we can usually manage them by avoiding bright lights and wind, using eye drops or by raising the head while lying down on the bed. Your doctor may suggest a selenium supplement and some medications like teprotumumab-trbw which are FDA-approved to treat the symptoms of thyroid eye disease and later can also prescribe steroid-containing medicine to control the swelling behind your eyes.
• Surgery: Surgery is the best option if other treatments are not suitable to treat this problem. This technique involves orbital decompression surgery to remove the bone between your sinusesand eye These surgeries can help in improving your vision.
• The other technique is eyemuscle surgery which is used to correct double vision. In this surgery, the muscle of the eyeball is cut that is covered with scar tissue and then reattached in a different position which can put your eyes back in proper alignment and thus clears the vision.

Conclusion

As we all are curious to know, ‘if there is any specific way to prevent thyroid,” then the answer is no as there isn’t any proven way to prevent hyperthyroidism. However, undergoing regular health check-ups can help us to diagnose and make further treatment plans to restore your thyroid gland at the earliest. People can improve the hyperthyroidism symptoms by including some dietary changes in their daily life. Also don’t forget to put iodised salt in your diet!!

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult your general physician or another certified medical professional for any questions regarding a medical condition. Relying on any information provided in this blog is solely at your own risk, and ICICI Lombard is not responsible for any effects or consequences resulting from the use of the information shared.

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