#hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism = excess thyroid hormone. This makes the body use energy faster than it should and therefore some cells and tissues in the body work faster than they should do. Symptoms of hyperthyroidism are:

• Palpitations (fast or abnormal heart rate)
• Feeling anxious, nervous, irritable or emotional
• Anxiety & depression
• Difficulty sleeping
• Diarrhoea
• Feeling hot
• Weakness & fatigue
• Weight loss despite feeling hungry
• Tremor
• Hair loss
• Light or absent periods
• A swelling of the thyroid gland ( goitre)

Graves: 

Graves’ disease is the most common cause of an overactive thyroid gland. 

• Symptoms include blurred vision/enlarged eyes in some cases. 
• Thyroid peroxidase antibody is an autoantibody found in most people with Graves’ disease.

Other causes 

Other causes of hyperthyroidism include inflammation of the thyroid gland which is known as thyroiditis. It generally occurs after a viral illness (which is known as subacute thyroiditis) or after a pregnancy (postpartum thyroiditis). Hyperthyroidism may also be caused by autoimmune diseases that are different to Graves’ disease, as well as by some medications e.g. amiodorone or lithium.

Less commonly hyperthyroidism is caused by a growth of part of the thyroid gland called a nodule. One nodule may develop (e.g. toxic solitary adenoma) or occasionally multiple nodules may form (e.g. multinodular goitre).  They are usually non-cancerous.