What is hyperthyroidism?

The increase in thyroid function causes a number of disorders that affect many organs and systems of our body.

To put it figuratively, hyperthyroidism is life in a forced rhythm, as it is accompanied by an increase in metabolic processes in the body. Hyperthyroidism can cause a constant increase in body temperature, and its classic symptom is heat intolerance, because even the normal ambient temperature feels too hot. The patient is constantly sweating and continuously worried about the idea, is it really so hot or just unbearable for him.

Thyroid

Its changes depend on the cause that caused hyperthyroidism. If it is a diffuse toxic goiter, then the antibodies cause an increase in all parts of the thyroid gland and form a tumor that repeats the normal outline of the organ and has the shape of a butterfly. If, however, the cause of hyperthyroidism is the excessively functioning one or more thyroid nodules, the volume of the remaining tissue will be reduced.

Skin, nails, hair

Skin is usually soft, warm and wet to the touch. In patients with diffuse toxic goiter, there may be increased pigmentation in some areas and its absence on others. On the front surface of the shins, the skin can sometimes be thickened and swollen.

Hair becomes soft, shiny, do not hold a wave. Their fall can be noted. After eliminating hyperthyroidism, the hair returns to its original state. During the disease, it is recommended to spare them - do not paint and curl until the hair bulbs have grown stronger.

Many people with hyperthyroidism have a thickening of fingertips, nails grow faster, but become loose, sometimes separate from the nail bed, are damaged by a fungal disease( onychomycosis) and then can easily come off.

Heart

Usually hyperthyroidism promotes an increase in the heart rate, because an elevated level of thyroxine causes the heart to beat stronger and faster. At first it is not very noticeable, however, when the myocardium works with a heavy load, the patient feels heart beats in his chest. A healthy person feels a palpitation, for example, after physical exertion, and a patient with hyperthyroidism feels it even at rest and during sleep and rest. A rapid heartbeat does not guarantee that there is any serious heart disease, and the cure for hyperthyroidism leads to the normalization of cardiac activity.

If hyperthyroidism is ignored and not treated, the condition can be significantly aggravated and indeed lead to heart disease. And although hyperthyroidism is usually recognized in the initial stage - before the development of any serious heart disease, but there are exceptional situations. Approximately 15% of people with hyperthyroidism are prone to heart rhythm disturbances.

Nervous system and muscles

Shaking hands are one of the classic signs of hyperthyroidism. Reflexes in patients are usually elevated, patients sometimes can not even sit still.

Loss of muscle tissue leads to a decrease in muscle strength. Especially the major muscles of the shoulders and hips. At the same time, long weakness in the shoulders arises even after combing the hair, and in the hips - when climbing the stairs to one floor. In very rare cases, after physical exertion, paralysis may develop.

Gastrointestinal tract

With hyperthyroidism, the intestinal motility is strengthened, and the food moves faster than normal. Therefore, even with normal nutrition in patients can appear diarrhea, and an excessive amount of thyroxine interferes with the absorption of food in the small intestine.

Reproductive system

Excessive amounts of thyroid hormones have a pronounced effect on reproduction processes of both men and women. In patients with hyperthyroidism, infertility, decreased sexual desire, menstrual cycle disorders in women and mammary gland enlargement in men are more common.

Emotional sphere

The paradox in hyperthyroidism is that, on the one hand, the metabolic processes are accelerated, and on the other hand, physical and mental exhaustion occurs. Therefore, a number of emotional disorders develop in patients with hyperthyroidism - there is increased nervousness, anxiety, excitability, irritability, insomnia, manifested both in the inability to sleep for an extended period of time, and in general, inability to fall asleep. Since a healthy person relaxes in a dream and thus rests, the patient with hyperthyroidism continues to sleep in an accelerated mode and wakes up even more tired in the morning than when he went to bed.

In this regard, patients with hyperthyroidism are, apparently, the largest group of people mistakenly directed to a psychiatrist. The most common mistaken diagnoses are general and manic depression.

Diseases of the eye

Stand a few apart and are characteristic mainly for patients with diffuse toxic goiter. They sometimes even stand out in a separate group of "eye diseases associated with the thyroid gland."The problem is that the eye protrudes from the orbit, believed to be due to autoimmune inflammation of the cellulose behind the eyeball and the damage to the eye muscles. The upper eyelid can no longer completely cover the sclera, and a white band appears between the iris and the upper eyelid. Further progression of the disease is accompanied by soreness, redness, lacrimation and a feeling of "sand" in the eyes. The eyes become sensitive to the sun and the wind. The edema of the eyelids and surrounding tissues develops, the eyeball shifts forward. Because of the concomitant defeat of the eye muscles, the eyes stop moving normally, there are visual disturbances( double vision and visual impairment due to pressure on the optic nerve).

Interesting data have recently been received, suggesting that the eye disease affects mainly those patients with hyperthyroidism who smoke. The reason for this is not clear.

Treatment of the eye begins with the elimination of hyperthyroidism. In some cases this causes an improvement during the course of the disease, in others it does not. Then use cobalt radiotherapy or x-ray irradiation of muscles and fiber behind the eyeball. If this does not help, they perform an operation consisting in removing part of the orbital bone wall to reduce pressure on the eyeball.

Stay healthy!