Thyroid Imbalances
I chose this article to summarize because I am very interested in thyroid imbalances as I was tested for Hypothyroidism. This article helped me in understanding more about why the thyroid hormones do in the body and the signs and symptoms of each condition. Hyperthyroidism is an overstimulation of the sympathetic nervous system and metabolic rate. Hypothyroidism is an autoimmune disorder, which is caused from a decrease in metabolic rate and causes edema. While caring for a patient with either of these two diseases, the nurse must assess vital signs, weight, hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, metabolic rate and monitor serum thyroid hormone levels with coagulation lab values.
Summary of Hyperthyroidism
Hyperthyroidism results when the body secretes high levels of the thyroid hormone into the tissues (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 45). The thyroid hormone is secreted from the thyroid gland and is commonly diagnosed in women between the ages of 20 and 40 (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 45). This, however, does not mean it is not possible for a male to be diagnosed or for someone out of this age range to be diagnosed with this condition. This disorder may be acute or chronic, causing increasing sympathetic nervous system activity and metabolic rate (metabolism of proteins, fats and carbohydrates) (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 45). This overstimulation causes the “fight-or-flight” response, which is composed of: tachycardia, hypertension, an increase in myocardial contractility, and increase in stroke volume (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 45). A person will show signs of an increased appetite and food intake while the persons energy needs exceed the supply found in the body (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 45). This in turn causes excessive weight loss while the person cannot find a balance between energy source needed and energy supply used. The thyroid is an endocrine gland that is located posteriorly on the neck and appears to look butterfly shaped. The tissue in this gland is composed of T4 cells, which produce thyroxine and T3 cells, which produce calcitonin (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 46). T3 and T4 cells are bound to plasma proteins that turn on metabolism in the body through a negative feedback mechanism involving the hypothalamus, anterior pituitary gland, and thyroid gland (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 46). Thyroid stimulation hormone (TSH) is increasingly released when the T3 and T4 levels are low in the blood (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 46). Calcitonin decreases calcium reabsorption in the bone and therefore, low calcium levels in the body inhibit the secretion of calcitonin (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 46). A heavily iodinated compound could cause a person to develop hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism because the thyroid hormones require ingestion of iodine (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. …show more content…
46). “Thyrotoxicosis, known as the overproduction of thyroid hormones, could be caused by radiation exposure, ingestion of excess thyroid hormone, thyroiditis, interferon-alpha therapy, pituitary tumors, and metastatic thyroid cancer” (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 46). “Graves disease is an autoimmune disease characterized by abnormal stimulation of the thyroid gland, which makes antibodies that bind to the TSH receptor sites in the thyroid. These cause gland hypertrophy and thyroid hormone overproduction, demonstrating thyrotoxicosis.” (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 46). Enlarged thyroid tissue or benign tumors on the thyroid is called, toxic multinodular goiter (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 46). Testing for hyperthyroidism includes examining the levels of: T3, T4, TSH and T3 resin uptake as well as TSH receptor antibodies to diagnose Graves disease (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 46). “A radioiodine uptake and thyroid scan is performed to evaluate the thyroid gland’s size, position and function” (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 46). An ultrasound can also identify nodules for toxic multinodular goiter (Crawford & …show more content…
47). The nurse will also monitor complete blood cell count, liver panel and serum glucose with electrolyte levels that may show signs of thyrotoxic crisis (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 47). Regular follow-up appointments should be scheduled and the nurse should teach the patient to avoid foods high in iodine (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 47). “Patients with Graves disease should notify their healthcare provider if they develop periorbital edema, eye irritation, blurred vision, and excessive tearing worsened by exposure to cold, wind, or bright lights” (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p.
I chose this article to summarize because I am very interested in thyroid imbalances as I was tested for Hypothyroidism. This article helped me in understanding more about why the thyroid hormones do in the body and the signs and symptoms of each condition. Hyperthyroidism is an overstimulation of the sympathetic nervous system and metabolic rate. Hypothyroidism is an autoimmune disorder, which is caused from a decrease in metabolic rate and causes edema. While caring for a patient with either of these two diseases, the nurse must assess vital signs, weight, hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, metabolic rate and monitor serum thyroid hormone levels with coagulation lab values.
Summary of Hyperthyroidism
Hyperthyroidism results when the body secretes high levels of the thyroid hormone into the tissues (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 45). The thyroid hormone is secreted from the thyroid gland and is commonly diagnosed in women between the ages of 20 and 40 (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 45). This, however, does not mean it is not possible for a male to be diagnosed or for someone out of this age range to be diagnosed with this condition. This disorder may be acute or chronic, causing increasing sympathetic nervous system activity and metabolic rate (metabolism of proteins, fats and carbohydrates) (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 45). This overstimulation causes the “fight-or-flight” response, which is composed of: tachycardia, hypertension, an increase in myocardial contractility, and increase in stroke volume (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 45). A person will show signs of an increased appetite and food intake while the persons energy needs exceed the supply found in the body (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 45). This in turn causes excessive weight loss while the person cannot find a balance between energy source needed and energy supply used. The thyroid is an endocrine gland that is located posteriorly on the neck and appears to look butterfly shaped. The tissue in this gland is composed of T4 cells, which produce thyroxine and T3 cells, which produce calcitonin (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 46). T3 and T4 cells are bound to plasma proteins that turn on metabolism in the body through a negative feedback mechanism involving the hypothalamus, anterior pituitary gland, and thyroid gland (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 46). Thyroid stimulation hormone (TSH) is increasingly released when the T3 and T4 levels are low in the blood (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 46). Calcitonin decreases calcium reabsorption in the bone and therefore, low calcium levels in the body inhibit the secretion of calcitonin (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 46). A heavily iodinated compound could cause a person to develop hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism because the thyroid hormones require ingestion of iodine (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. …show more content…
46). “Thyrotoxicosis, known as the overproduction of thyroid hormones, could be caused by radiation exposure, ingestion of excess thyroid hormone, thyroiditis, interferon-alpha therapy, pituitary tumors, and metastatic thyroid cancer” (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 46). “Graves disease is an autoimmune disease characterized by abnormal stimulation of the thyroid gland, which makes antibodies that bind to the TSH receptor sites in the thyroid. These cause gland hypertrophy and thyroid hormone overproduction, demonstrating thyrotoxicosis.” (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 46). Enlarged thyroid tissue or benign tumors on the thyroid is called, toxic multinodular goiter (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 46). Testing for hyperthyroidism includes examining the levels of: T3, T4, TSH and T3 resin uptake as well as TSH receptor antibodies to diagnose Graves disease (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 46). “A radioiodine uptake and thyroid scan is performed to evaluate the thyroid gland’s size, position and function” (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 46). An ultrasound can also identify nodules for toxic multinodular goiter (Crawford & …show more content…
47). The nurse will also monitor complete blood cell count, liver panel and serum glucose with electrolyte levels that may show signs of thyrotoxic crisis (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 47). Regular follow-up appointments should be scheduled and the nurse should teach the patient to avoid foods high in iodine (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p. 47). “Patients with Graves disease should notify their healthcare provider if they develop periorbital edema, eye irritation, blurred vision, and excessive tearing worsened by exposure to cold, wind, or bright lights” (Crawford & Harris, 2012, p.