Thyroid Disease

What is thyroid disease?

Thyroid disease refers to a group of conditions that affect your thyroid, a butterfly-shaped gland at the base of your neck. Your thyroid produces a wide range of hormones that control many bodily functions, including your heart rate and appetite.

If your thyroid produces too many or too few hormones, it increases your risk of other health problems. Fortunately, there are several treatments that can provide relief.

What are the types of thyroid disease?

Signature Internal Medicine diagnosis and treats the two main types of thyroid disease:

Hyperthyroid

Hyperthyroidism causes your thyroid gland to overproduce the hormone thyroxine. That causes various symptoms, including a rapid heartbeat, unexplained weight loss, and excess sweating.

Hypothyroid

Hypothyroidism means your thyroid doesn’t produce enough hormones. The condition develops slowly and doesn’t always present symptoms early on.

What are the symptoms of thyroid disease?

The symptoms of thyroid disease include:

• Feelings of anxiety, irritability, or nervousness
• Trouble sleeping
• Having an enlarged thyroid
• Muscle weakness
• Tremors
• Irregular menstrual cycles
• Unexplained weight loss or weight gain
• Dry skin

If you have thyroid disease, you might also experience intolerance to temperature changes, like hot or cold. 

How is thyroid disease diagnosed?

Signature Internal Medicine diagnoses thyroid disease during an in-office visit.

Your provider reviews your medical records and asks about your symptoms. Then, they do a physical exam. 

During the exam, your provider examines your neck and thyroid, looking for signs of redness or swelling. They also order a series of blood tests to test the levels of certain hormones in your blood, including:

• Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)
• T4: Thyroxine
• FT4: Free T4 or free thyroxine
• T3: Triiodothyronine
• FT3: Free T3 or free triiodothyronine

Your provider might also test for thyroid antibodies, calcitonin, or thyroglobulin.

If your blood tests show abnormal hormone levels, your provider develops a custom treatment plan.

How is thyroid disease treated?

Treatment of thyroid disease depends on several factors, including the type and severity of your symptoms. Signature Internal Medicine might recommend:

• Antithyroid drugs
• Radioactive iodine
• Beta-blockers
• Thyroid replacement medication

If noninvasive treatments don’t provide relief, your provider might recommend surgery to remove the thyroid (thyroidectomy).

To learn more about the treatment options for thyroid disease, make an appointment at Signature Internal Medicine by calling the office or booking online today.