Excessive activity of the tissues of the thyroid gland has several names – Basedow’s disease or Grevs , or diffuse toxic goiter. You can also find other synonyms, but the main essence of the pathology is the state of thyrotoxicosis. Against the background of excessive activity of the tissues of the body, hormones are produced in extremely high concentrations, which leads to metabolic disorders and heart damage, ophthalmologic symptoms, and digestive disorders. The basis of the pathology is an autoimmune lesion of glandular tissue.
Causes of Grave Disease
Normally, the thyroid gland synthesizes hormones that regulate the basal metabolic rate and the formation of energy for the body, which helps maintain the temperature, elasticity and moisture of the skin, heart function, digestive processes and activity. The basis of Basedow’s disease is an autoimmune process, the true reasons for the formation of which have not yet been completely determined. Aggression of immune cells against the tissues of the thyroid gland leads to its sharp activation. In case of Grave’s disease, lymphocytes synthesize proteins that stimulate receptors of the body to synthesize thyroid hormones, the level of which reaches critically high values.
Today, the disease is considered as a condition with a hereditary predisposition, which is transmitted polygenically. The launch of autoimmune aggression can be triggered by stress, recurrent infections in the nasopharynx and internal organs, traumatic brain injury. Sometimes provocateurs can be screened using radioactive iodine molecules, endocrine disruptions. Women suffer from Grave disease 6-7 times more often than men.
Early symptoms of thyroid damage
In the initial stages, while the thyroid gland is affected slightly, the symptoms can be subtle and are often mistaken for other pathologies. With increasing lymphocyte synthesis of protein that stimulates the activity of the tissues of the thyroid gland, the manifestations increase, become more obvious. Often there are disturbances of sleep and mood, sweating increases even in cool rooms, trembling in hands develops, interruptions in the work of the heart. Patients do not tolerate hot weather, they may have an increased appetite and at the same time lose weight, they have low-grade fever.
The more actively the thyroid gland is affected, there more manifestations arise. Joins in fussiness, anxiety and aggressiveness, trembling of the body and limbs, constant moisture of the skin, pigmentation on the face and body. The skin in the legs and feet is thickened, becomes edematous, an increase in the neck can be observed due to the growth of gland tissue. When probing iron compacted, but not painful.
Progressive changes of the heart, eyes, organs of the body
Ophthalmic symptoms are most common. diseases – eyes acquire an unnatural brilliance, typically rare blinking, looking down reveals the albumen. Outwardly it seems that the eyeball is enlarged, it strongly sticks out from the orbit (bulging eyes), which gives the look a specific expression.The eyelids look swollen, often infected due to dryness and injury during rubbing. Neuritis in the area of the optic nerve and visual disturbances may occur.
Excess hormones negatively affect the heart and blood vessels, leading to tachycardia and an increase in pressure even at rest. Often revealed violation of the rhythm of the heart – extrasystole, tachyarrhythmia. There are attacks similar to angina, hypertensive crises and the gradual development of heart failure. Disrupted digestion – may be nausea with vomiting, diarrhea, liver damage (fatty hepatosis ).
Effect of excess gland hormones on the body
Excessive hormones of the thyroid gland negatively affect the sex glands – women suffer from libido, the menstrual cycle is disturbed, and infertility occurs. In men, the potency is upset, the libido is lowered. Their effect on glucose metabolism is also expressed, which leads to sharp fluctuations in its level and frequent hypoglycemia, provocation of serious metabolic disorders. Also, hormones, having a stimulating effect, provoke the formation of excess heat, which leads to a constant increase in body temperature. The result of their activity is muscle weakness with gradual atrophy of muscle fibers, constant skin moisture, its greasiness and increased elasticity. Activity hormones leads to increased appetite, but the weight does not come, but rather is lost, which leads to a pronounced weight loss.
The severity of the condition: the development of thyrotoxicosis
If we talk about the course of the disease, its severity is divided into three degrees. It is considered relatively easy to flow at a heart rate of up to 100 beats / min, with a loss of body weight due to an increase in metabolism by no more than 10% of the normal (baseline).
A moderate condition is exhibited when weight loss reaches 20% of the initial one, pressure increases and pulse increases to 120 beats / min. the patient’s condition is relatively satisfactory, but various provoking factors can dramatically increase thyrotoxicosis, forming crises.
With severe thyrotoxicosis, the negative effect of an excess of hormones on metabolism. Pulse exceeds 120 beats / min, weight is lost by 25% or more, pressure is constantly increased, poorly reduced, the general condition suffers, disturbances in the functioning of organs are expressed. There may be slowly progressive forms of thyrotoxicosis, having a wavelike pattern with periods of infrequent and not acute exacerbations, provoked by infections or severe stress. But also thyrotoxicosis can have an aggressive, crisis course, leading to the rapid development of a critical state.
The presence of suspicious complaints, which are growing in time, should be a reason for going to the therapist or endocrinologist. Uncontrolled course of the disease threatens serious and irreversible changes in the body.