What is Hyperthyroidism?

Hyperthyroidism means that the thyroid gland is overworked and the thyroid hormones are high. Since thyroid hormones affect everything in our body, this situation also has side effects on our body. If the thyroid gland is overworked, the body speeds up. Accelerating body metabolism is not a good thing. Because there are undesirable symptoms such as palpitation, fatigue, sweating and weight loss. Long-term overworking of thyroid hormones directly affects the heart. In the long term, it causes heart rhythm disorders and osteoporosis. Because of these possible effects, hyperthyroidism is an important health problem.

The most common cause is the emergence of an immune system-related disease called Graves' disease. It occurs as a result of the immune system over-stimulating the thyroid gland. Apart from this, nodules that we call thyroid nodules and which are seen in one of every 3 people, which are quite common in our society, can also cause hyperthyroidism. Nodules can work very often on their own, independent of metabolism, and are seen as the cause of hyperthyroidism.

The diagnosis of this disease is made when the thyroid hormones are high in the blood test. The cause of the diagnosed hyperthyroidism is investigated. It is determined how the thyroid works, whether the thyroid gland or the nodules are working fast separately. The reason for this separation is due to the different treatment methods. After finding the reasons for the long-term elimination of hyperthyroidism, the treatment process of the patient begins. Medication is recommended as the first line of treatment. The overworking of the thyroid glands of the patient who uses these drugs for a certain period of time is suppressed. In many patients, this condition provides permanent improvement after 3 months of treatment. If hyperthyroidism recurs immediately after stopping the drug, radioactive iodine treatment is used. This treatment option is also known as atomic therapy among the people. In this treatment, the person is given oral radioactive iodine and the disease is permanently destroyed. Thanks to this situation, the thyroid gland becomes less active. For this reason, after radioactive iodine treatment, thyroid hormone is given to the person by adjusting the amount again. It is known as a method applied to patients who do not want surgical intervention. However, patients who do not want their hormone balance to be altered can also get rid of hyperthyroidism by directly opting for surgical intervention.