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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]

Overactive Thyroid

Overactive Thyroid image

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]

Thyroid Problems

The thyroid gland is an endocrine gland located in the neck in front of the windpipe. The normal size is about 12-20grams with an abundant blood supply. The thyroid gland produces two hormones, thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) which is consistently regulated by negative feedback to the brain specifically by thyroid stimulating hormone from the anterior pituitary and thyrotropin-releasing hormone from the hypothalamus. Excess or deficiency of these hormones is the underlying problem in thyroid diseases. Iodine is a critical component in the production of thyroid hormones by the body. The thyroid gland obtains iodine from the blood. The blood » » » [Read more]