Category: Fundamentals
Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland fails to produce or secrete sufficient circulating thyroid hormone to meet the needs of the peripheral tissues. Hypothyroidism is the most common functional disorder of the thyroid gland.
Category: Fundamentals
Symptomatic treatment of thyrotoxicosis consists of beta-blockade to diminish the adrenergic response. Traditionally, propranolol has been the beta-blocker of choice because it has the added benefit of blocking conversion of T4 to T3.
Category: Fundamentals
The typical clinical manifestations of thyroid storm include marked pyrexia (104°−106° F [40°−41° C]), extreme tachycardia (often out of proportion to level of fever) and altered mental status (agitation, delirium or coma).
Category: Fundamentals
Thyroid storm is a rare, life-threatening form of severe thyrotoxicosis. It is an acute reaction to thyroid or non-thyroid surgery, trauma, infection, iodine load (contrast media or amiodarone) or parturition in patients with preexisting hyperthyroidism.
Category: Fundamentals
Ophthalmopathy is a classic finding in Graves’ disease; it is thought to result in a proliferation of orbital fibroblasts differentiating into adipocytes and orbital infiltration of inflammatory cells.
Category: Fundamentals
Hyperthyroidism in older adults often manifests with nonspecific symptoms of weight loss, shortness of breath and/or dementia. Older adults are also more prone to cardiac manifestations and often present with atrial fibrillation.
Category: Fundamentals
Hyperthyroidism induces a hypermetabolic state and increases β-adrenergic activity. The resulting clinical manifestations range from vague constitutional symptoms to more organ-specific symptoms.
Category: Fundamentals
More than 99.5% of thyroid hormones are protein-bound in the serum to thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) and other proteins, rendering them metabolically inactive. As a result, only free T4 and free T3 are clinically relevant.
Category: Fundamentals
The function of the thyroid hormone is to influence the metabolism of cells by increasing their basal metabolic rate. It has a role in protein synthesis and functions together with other hormones necessary for normal growth and development.
Category: Fundamentals
The thyroid’s function is to secrete two iodinated hormones, T3 and T4. Only about 20% of circulating T3 is directly secreted by the thyroid. The remainder is produced by peripheral conversion of T4 to the more biologically active T3.
Category: Fundamentals
Hyperthyroidism is a condition caused by overproduction and increased circulation of thyroid hormone. The disorder runs the spectrum from subclinical hyperthyroidism to thyrotoxicosis, a life-threatening disorder.
Category: Fundamentals
Management of rhabdomyolysis focuses on treatment of the cause, prevention of renal failure and management of life- or limb-threatening complications. Volume expansion is critical to avoiding myoglobin-induced acute renal failure.
Category: Fundamentals
Myoglobinuria with an elevated plasma CK level, confirms rhabdomyolysis. Common electrolyte disturbances include hyperkalemia, hyperphosphatemia and early hypocalcemia followed by late hypercalcemia.
Category: Fundamentals
Myoglobin is a dark red protein composed of globin and a molecule of heme. Its normal function is to supply oxygen to skeletal and cardiac muscle in times of need. The excretion of myoglobin occurs renally.
