Symptoms of Hyperthyroidism - Why and How?

Prepared and Presented by group A2b

Introduction:
Hyperthyroidism is the over activity of the thyroid gland. In most patients with hyperthyroidism, the thyroid gland is increased to two to three times normal size. Also, each cell increases its rate of secretion several fold.

Symptom 1: Heat Intolerance

Thyroxine increases the rates of the chemical reactions of many cells in the body and therefore increases metabolic rate (sometimes up to 50 100%). Thyroid hormones increase BMR. Thyroid hormone increase the number and enhances the action of Na-KATPase activity. An increase in all of the following increases the patients temperature as more ATP is used up. Thus the patient will not tolerate heat.

Symptom 2: Lack of Sleep

Because of the exhausting effect of thyroid hormone on the musculature and on the central nervous system, the hyperthyroid subject often has a feeling of constant tiredness, but because of the excitable effects of thyroid hormone on the synapses, it is difficult to sleep.

Symptom 3: Sweaty hands

Sweating is increased because of higher levels of calorigenesis. The skin of thyrotoxicosis patients tends to be soft, warm, and flushed because of increased blood flow and peripheral vasodilation to increase heat loss.

Symptom 4: Increase in Heart Rate

Increase in Thyroid hormone due to hyperthyroidism results in an increase the number of beta adrenergic receptors. This results in an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. Increase in systolic pressure and decrease in diastolic pressure might lead to heart failure.

Symptom 5: Muscle Weakness

Slight increase in thyroid hormone usually makes the muscles react with strength. When the quantity of hormone becomes excessive, the muscles become weakened because of excess protein catabolism.

Symptom 6: Diarrhea
Thyroid hormone Increases the rates of secretion of the digestive juices, and the motility of the gastrointestinal This leads to: tract, by Diarrhea. increasing Increased sympathetic appetite and hyperstimulation food intake of the gut.

Symptom 7: Diuresis
At kidney level, thyroid hormones affect proximal tubular sodium transport by increasing the number and enhancing the action Na-KATPase activity. This results in diuresis as the glomerular filtration rate increase.

Symptom 8: Irregular Menstruation

The action of thyroid hormone on the gonads cannot be pinpointed to a specific function but probably results from a combination of direct metabolic effects on the gonads as well as excitatory and inhibitory feedback effects operating through the anterior pituitary hormones that control the sexual functions.

Result: Late menstruation (delayed puberty) Infrequent or absent periods.

Symptom 9: Nervousness

Hyperthyroid means your body is in overdrive all the time. That is why it causes nervousness, because the heart beats faster. As a matter of fact everything about your body is faster. Thyroid hormone increases the rapidity of cerebration (working of the brain), and the over activity of the sympathetic nervous.

Symptom 10: Loss of Weight

Increased thyroid hormone almost always decreases the body weight. If the thyroid is extremely overactive, the individuals BMR (amount of oxygen used by the body over a specific amount of time) increases which leads an increase in the caloric requirements to maintain that weight. If the person does not increase the calories consumed to match the excess calories burned, he will lose weight.

Resources:
Robbins & Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease, 8 edition Guytons Textbook of Medical physiology 11th Edition American Thyroid Association on Thyroid and Weight Gerard J. Tortora & Bryan H. Derricksons Principles of Anatomy and Physiology. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10207261

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