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Is Hyperthyroidism Treated?
Thyroid is a place that is less noticeable on the body, but many people do not know this is an extremely important part of the body's metabolism. Hyperthyroidism is a disease caused by a sudden increase in the levels of thyroid hormones that cause a disorder of many organs. So, is hyperthyroidism dangerous? What are the causes, symptoms, and consequences of hyperthyroidism on the health of the patient? What to do when you have hyperthyroidism are the things you should know to stay proactive and have timely treatment.
What Is Hyperthyroidism?
Hyperthyroidism is not a separate disease as many people often mistakenly think it is a syndrome, caused by many diseases, most notably Basedow disease, also known as Graves' disease with symptoms like a goiter, thyroiditis, cardiovascular disorders
When the thyroid is overactive, it causes an increase in the secretion of thyroid hormones triiodothyronine and thyroxin, causing the metabolic processes in the body to be disturbed, increased metabolism beyond permissible limits, the amount of calcium in the blood is unevenly regulated, activities The nervous system and cardiovascular system are strongly stimulated causing the phenomenon of rapid heartbeat, palpitations, unexplained leg kicks …
What Causes Hyperthyroidism?
According to the studies, the most common cause of hyperthyroidism comes from Basedow. When a patient has Basedow (diffuse toxic goiter) an autoimmune disease that causes the thyroid gland to be attacked, causing inflammation, goiter, excessive hormone production … is the cause of hyperthyroidism.
The incidence of Basedow disease in women is 7-10 times higher than in men, often with genetic factors. According to the estimated statistics, up to 80 – 90% of patients with hyperthyroidism have Basedow.
Plummer's disease, also known as a thyrotoxic tumor, causes the thyroid to develop abnormally, a large tumor stimulates excessive hormone production and causes hyperthyroidism. The incidence of Plummer's disease is 4 times higher than that of men, usually onset in the middle age between 40-60 years old.
Thyroiditis is a disease likely to occur after pregnancy, when the body has an immune disorder or viral infection, in the early stages of thyroiditis often causes hyperthyroidism.
Thyroid cancer is one of the causes of hyperthyroidism. This is a very dangerous disease due to the formation of malignant tumors in the thyroid gland, an increase in thyroid cyst. If treated promptly, the cure rate of thyroid cancer is very high up to 90%.
The use of certain medications can also lead to hyperthyroidism, as the treatment for long-term hypothyroidism causes temporary hyperthyroidism. Medicines for coughs, fevers, and pacemakers include iodine. Some studies also show that epilepsy medications also lead to thyroid dysfunction that can cause hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism.
Subjects Susceptible to Hyperthyroidism
Currently, hyperthyroidism is a common disease. Hyperthyroidism can be acquired at any age, but the focus is mainly on adulthood, with the difference between men and women. Accordingly, the incidence of hyperthyroidism in women is 3 times higher than that of men, it is easy to get the disease during pregnancy and after childbirth.
What Are The Symptoms of Hyperthyroidism?
When you have hyperthyroidism, overproduction of hormones in the thyroid gland disrupts metabolic functions in the body, so the symptoms of hyperthyroidism cause diseases almost all over the body including:
- The frequent phenomenon of heart palpitations over 100 beats/minute, with symptoms, increased when the body is thrilled, accompanied by palpitations phenomenon.
- Appears a feeling of fear of heat, body temperature increases about 37.5 – 38 degrees causing mild fever. The whole body is tired, hands and feet often tremble. If the cause is derived from Palm Basedow disease, the palms will have recognizable features such as dampness, which looks like a succulent.
- Weight changes suddenly, unexplained weight loss, although the patient still eats normally, has a good appetite, and eats a lot. The pre-neck area (thyroid location) is enlarged, very easy to observe with the naked eye, the voice becomes husky than normal.
- Increased bowel motility: The most obvious manifestation is diarrhea with a high frequency of 5 – 10 times/day but not accompanied by a feeling of cramping pain. For people who frequently suffer from constipation, the excretion returns to a normal state.
- The whole person is tired, has poor mobility, has difficulty concentrating, is prone to stress, agitation, and cannot control emotions.
- Sleep disturbed, having trouble falling asleep, having a short or not deep sleep.
- Eye symptoms, sensitivity to light, swelling, upper lash-lifting muscles.
Is hyperthyroidism dangerous? The answer is no, if the disease is detected in time and treated early, it will progress in a positive direction. Conversely, if there is no delay in treatment, serious hyperthyroidism complications such as:
- Acute hyperthyroidism, also known as a thyroid storm, causes metabolic syndrome, the patient falls into a high fever, fatigue, exhaustion, muscle atrophy. The heart beats very quickly from 180 to 200 beats/minute and easily leads to heart failure. If affecting the respiratory system, the body will fake muscle paralysis. For these cases, it is necessary to get an emergency timely otherwise it will be dangerous to life.
- Congestive heart failure, heart rhythm disturbance, blurred vision, severe swelling, redness, and swelling of the skin are also dangerous complications of hyperthyroidism.
Is Hyperthyroidism Cured?
If you feel that your body has abnormal signs such as the above cases, especially unexplained weight loss, swollen neck, fast heartbeat need to quickly visit the hospital for a primary diagnosis. identification of disease status and treatment to increase the rate of recovery quickly through modern diagnostic methods such as thyroid ultrasound, electrocardiogram, blood hormone measurement, TSH quantitative assay, FT3, FT4.
Once a patient has been identified with hyperthyroidism, depending on the severity of the disease, there will be a separate treatment protocol. Usually, the most effective treatment is internal medicine, through special medicines such as antithyroid drugs, beta-blockers … to treat hyperthyroidism.
If the cause of hyperthyroidism is thyroid cancer, surgery, or radiation therapy will be required to treat the disease. When hyperthyroidism recurs many times the neck swells, surgery or radioactive iodine will help the patient regain aesthetics and confidence.
The cure for hyperthyroidism usually lasts from 1 year to 1.5 years. Patients will have positive improvements after about 1 month of treatment. However, in order for the most effective treatment process to require the coordination between the patient and the doctor, it is absolutely forbidden to skip halfway or voluntarily overdose without frequent follow-up visits, there is a risk of prolonging or from hyperthyroidism to hypothyroidism.
The treatment of hyperthyroidism with drugs, in many cases, will lead to side effects such as an itchy rash, hives. Or when experiencing abnormal manifestations during treatment, it is necessary to see a doctor immediately to adjust the drug accordingly.
Hyperthyroidism and Nutrition
In order to have good treatment results for hyperthyroidism in addition to complying with the doctor's treatment regimen, proper examination, nutrition, healthy living, and science are extremely important to improve efficiency.
Need to add to the daily menu fruits rich in antioxidants, help strengthen the immune system such as oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, kiwi, tomatoes … Cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli … work very well in inhibiting the content of thyroid hormones secreted, very good for people with hyperthyroidism.
Salmon meat, olive oil, walnuts contain Omega-3 to help soothe thyroid activity, vitamin D enhances calcium absorption, and prevents osteoporosis are foods that people with hyperthyroidism should add to your diet.
However, any type of food needs to be eaten at the allowable level, changing every day to avoid overuse will no longer work to support treatment, on the contrary, it is likely to make the disease more severe.
Besides, it is necessary to abstain from iodine-rich foods found in seaweeds and seafood. Foods with high sugar content in soft drinks, bottled juices, biscuits, jams, candies … Foods containing saturated fat are abundant in fast foods, fried foods with a lot of greases will make the illness worse. Coffee, alcohol, stimulants will increase the metabolic disorder that adversely affects patients with hyperthyroidism.
Surely with information related to hyperthyroidism has helped you have a better overview and understanding of this disease to be able to answer the question of dangerous hyperthyroidism? To ensure the best health and avoid dangerous complications for hyperthyroidism, when you have unusual symptoms, you absolutely cannot be subjective, you need to see a doctor for diagnosis and treatment promptly.
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The site cannot and does not contain medical advice. The medical information is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals.