What is a Thyroid? | What does the Thyroid do? | When Something Goes Wrong | What is Graves? | Hyperthyroidism | Hypothyroidism | Thyroid Disease Treatment | Sponsors | Bottom of Page

• What is a thyroid?
  • small, butterfly-shaped gland below the Adam's apple. 

   

• What does the thyroid do?
  • controlling the body's metabolism by regulating thyroid hormones (T₄ and T₃)

   

• When something goes wrong..
  • if the gland produces too much hormone we term the condition Hyperthyroidism
  • if the gland makes to little, we call this Hypothyroidism.

   

• What is Graves?
  • Graves' disease, is a condition in which the thyroid gland is hyperactive and the eyes are affected
  • Although Graves' disease may develop at any age and in either sex, it most often affects women 20 to 60 years old

Hyperthyroidism 

• occurs when there is too much thyroid hormone in the blood ("hyper" means "too much", "hypo" means "too low")
• 10 times more common in women
• affects about 2% of all women in the United States.
• Symptoms
  • fast heart rate
  • eyes may bulge forward
  1. nervousness
  • increased sweating
  • muscle weakness
  • trembling hands
  • weight loss
  • skin changes
  • increased frequency of bowel movements
  • decreased menstrual flow and less frequent menstrual flow

Hypothyroidism

• occurs when there is too little thyroid hormone in the blood 
• affects more than 5 million people
• 10 times more common in women than in men
• one out of every 4,000 infants is born hypothyroid
• Symptoms 
  • feeling slow or tired
  •  drowsiness
  • poor memory
  • muscle cramps
  • dry and course skin
  • milky discharge from the brests
  • husky voice
  • feeling cold
  • slow heart rate
  • difficulty concentrating
  • weight gain
  • heavy menstrual flow
  • infertility
  • feeling depressed

   

• When Graves' disease affects the eyes, it is called Graves' ophthalmopathy.  Eyes may bulge or appear red and swollen. 
• The space between the lids (palpebral fissure) may widen. Excess tearing and discomfort may occur in either or both eyes (see below). 
• Patients may experience sensitivity to light, blurring or double vision, inflammation, or decreased movement.

Thyroid Disease Treatment

• Two goals for treating thyroid disease 
  • return thyroid hormone levels to normal 
  •  remove potentially cancerous lumps. 

   

• Treatments
  • Radioactive iodine (to shrink the thyroid gland)
  • Antithryoid drugs (to control symptoms and heart rate)
  • beta-blocking drugs (to control symptoms and heart rate)
  • thyroid-replacement therapy (if hypothyroidism develops)
  • surgery (to remove a cancer and may also be used to remove a large goiter.)

   

  1.	Treating Hyperthyroidism: What Are Your Options?
  2.	Too Much Hormone: Understanding Hyperthyroidism
  3.	A Champion Battles Thyroid Disease: Gail Devers' Story
  4.	Too Much Hormone: Understanding Hyperthyroidism