I’m a diplomate of Internal Medicine and Nuclear Medicine. My specialty is in Diabetes and Thyroid. I do radioactive ablation of Thyroid cancer and Hyperthyroidism/Graves’ and Nodular Toxic Goiter.
Emerita Andres Barrenechea, MD
Thyroid Disease In Children
Thyrotoxicosis or hyperthyroidism is relatively rare in children. According to reports, the yearly incidence is 8 per 1 million children who are younger than 15 years old and 1 per 1 million in children younger than 4 years old. Among these patients, Graves’ Disease is the most common cause. It is noted that girls are affected five times more than boys. A family history of hyperthyroidism should be sought because many have a positive family history of autoimmune thyroid diseases. A clinical profile includes several month records of progressive symptoms, of which, the most common are often behavioral disturbances such » » » [Read more]
Autoimmune Thyroid Disease
Autoimmune thyroid disease entails some sort of dysfunction from the body’s defense mechanism, in which the body does not distinguish its own organs and tissues, and rejects them, triggering inflammation and sometimes destruction. It can manifest either as hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) or hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid). The main types of autoimmune thyroid disease are focal thyroiditis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, atrophic thyroiditis, silent thyroiditis, postpartum thyroiditis and Graves’ disease. Focal thyroiditis may not present with a goiter and blood examination will show normal or sub-clinical hypothyroidism. Sub-clinical hypothyroidism means that the thyroid stimulating hormone level is high which reflects an underactive thyroid but » » » [Read more]
Diabetic Ketoacidosis In A Patient With Thyroid Storm: A Case Report
M.K., a 25 year-old female, Filipina-Japanese, presented at the Emergency Room due to abdominal pain. Her aunt stated that she had been noted to be very irritable for the past week before consult but attributed it to stress from the patient’s new job. She had been complaining of epigastric pain but only took AlMgOH, an antacid, which provided slight relief. The patient also claimed that she had been having nausea and had poor appetite, hence did not inject insulin for the past 2 days. She also experienced palpitation, heat intolerance, hyperdefecation and lightheadedness. The patient is a diagnosed case of » » » [Read more]
Overactive Thyroid
Excessive production of thyroid hormones by the thyroid gland causes the state of a hyperactive thyroid known as hyperthyroidism and usually is associated by diffuse thyroid gland enlargement. One cause of hyperthyroidism is a condition known as Graves’ disease. It is often associated with enlargement of the eyes known as Graves’ ophthalmopathy and sometime associated with abnormality in the bone around the eyes, the orbit, known as Graves’ orbitopathy. It is believed that Graves’ disease is a result of an immunologic process. Pregnancy has an important association with the development of Graves’ disease (hyperthyroidism). Some patients who were previously normal » » » [Read more]