Hyperthyroidism: MedlinePlus

Hyperthyroidism: MedlinePlus
A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health

Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in your neck, just above your collarbone. It is one of your endocrine glands, which make hormones. Thyroid hormones control the rate of many activities in your body. These include how fast you burn calories and how fast your heart beats. All of these activities are your body's metabolism. If your thyroid is too active, it makes more thyroid hormones than your body needs. This is called hyperthyroidism.

Hyperthyroidism is more common in women, people with other thyroid problems, and those over 60 years old. Grave's disease, an autoimmune disorder, is the most common cause. Other causes include thyroid nodules, thyroiditis, consuming too much iodine, and taking too much synthetic thyroid hormone.

The symptoms can vary from person to person. They may include

• Being nervous or irritable
• Mood swings
• Fatigue or muscle weakness
• Heat intolerance
• Trouble sleeping
• Hand tremors
• Rapid and irregular heartbeat
• Frequent bowel movements or diarrhea
• Weight loss
• Goiter, which is an enlarged thyroid that may cause the neck to look swollen

To diagnose hyperthyroidism, your doctor will look at your symptoms, blood tests, and sometimes a thyroid scan. Treatment is with medicines, radioiodine therapy, or thyroid surgery. No single treatment works for everyone.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA  

• Eyes - bulging
• Factitious hyperthyroidism
• Graves disease
• Hyperthyroidism
• Radioactive iodine uptake
• Silent thyroiditis
• Subacute thyroiditis
• T3
• T3RU test
• T4 test
• 
  

  

Related Topics

• Hypothyroidism
• Thyroid Cancer
• Thyroid Diseases
• Endocrine System

National Institutes of Health

• The primary NIH organization for research on Hyperthyroidism is theNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

• Start Here

• Hyperthyroidism(American Academy of Family Physicians)
• Also available in Spanish
• Hyperthyroidism(Hormone Health Network) - PDF
• Hyperthyroidism(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

• Overviews

  • Hyperthyroidism (Overactive Thyroid)(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
  • Overactive Thyroid: What You Need to Know(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - PDF - In English and Spanish

• Diagnosis/Symptoms

  • T3 (Triiodothyronine) Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
  • T4 (Thyroxine) Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
  • Thyroid Function Tests(American Thyroid Association)
  • Thyroid Function Tests(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
  • Thyroid Function Tests(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
  • Thyroid Scan and Uptake(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)
  • Also available in Spanish
  • TSH (Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone) Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry)

• Treatment

  • Radioactive Iodine (I-131) Therapy for Hyperthyroidism(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Radioactive Iodine Treatment for Hyperthyroidism(Hormone Health Network)
  • Thyroid Surgery(American Thyroid Association)
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Thyroid Surgery(Patient Education Institute)
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Thyroidectomy(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

• Specific Conditions

  • Graves' Disease(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
  • Graves' Disease(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
  • Thyroid Eye Disease: Protruding, Irritated Eyes(American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery) - PDF
  • Thyrotoxic Myopathy(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
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• Related Issues

  • Goiter(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
  • Radioactive Iodine(American Thyroid Association) - PDF
  • Thyroid and Weight(American Thyroid Association)
  • Thyroid Nodules(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
  • What Is an Endocrinologist?(Hormone Health Network)
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• Pictures & Photographs

  • Thyroidectomy - slideshow
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Return to top

• Tutorials

  • Thyroid Surgery(Patient Education Institute)
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Return to top

• Anatomy/Physiology

  • What Does the Thyroid Gland Do?(Hormone Health Network)
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• Clinical Trials

  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Graves Disease(National Institutes of Health)
  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Hyperthyroidism(National Institutes of Health)
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• Dictionaries/Glossaries

  • Thyroid Disease Definitions(Nemours Foundation)
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• Directories

  • Directory of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases Organizations(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
  • Find an Endocrinologist(Hormone Health Network)
  • Find an Endocrinology - Thyroid Specialist(American Thyroid Association)
  • Return to top

• Organizations

  • American Thyroid Association
  • Hormone Health Network
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
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• Women

  • Graves' Disease(Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)
  • Pregnancy and Thyroid Disease(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
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• Patient Handouts

  • Eyes - bulging
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Factitious hyperthyroidism
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Graves disease
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Hyperthyroidism
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Silent thyroiditis
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Subacute thyroiditis
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Thyroid Function Tests(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
  • Thyroid scan
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis
  • Also available in Spanish
  • Return to top