Thyrotoxicosis is one of the most common diseases of the endocrine gland system. Even despite the possibilities of modern medicine, to this day the management of patients suffering from thyrotoxicosis causes a lot of problems, since thyroid dysfunction requires detailed differential diagnosis. The fact is that thyrotoxicosis can be represented by different forms, and each form requires specific treatment.
Diagnosis of thyrotoxicosis – anamnesis
With the development of thyrotoxicosis, a sharp weight loss of the patient is often observed even with normal appetite. Body weight decreases due to increased heat transfer, which requires large energy costs. Some patients, however, gain weight due to increased appetite, which does not match the metabolic rate.
Most patients with thyrotoxicosis complain of fatigue and general weakness.
Enhanced sweating also has a certain diagnostic value, even if the ambient temperature is normal.
At the onset of development, thyrotoxicosis is often manifested by atrial fibrillation. If an elderly person suffers from a disease, then he may develop moderate heart failure.
Patients with thyrotoxicosis can suffer from tremor of the extremities, from too active intestinal motility. Patients may experience irregularities in the menstrual cycle, and in men, potency worsens. In general, over time, thyrotoxicosis leads to the development of depression and irritability in patients.
Quite rarely, thyrotoxicosis develops in women bearing a child. During pregnancy, the disease is manifested by indomitable vomiting, since chorionic gonadotropin in addition to the effects of increased thyroid-stimulating hormone activates the activity of the thyroid gland.
Diagnosis of thyrotoxicosis – examination of the patient
The absence of goiter during examination of the patient is not a refutation of the diagnosis of thyrotoxicosis. However, if the goiter is expressed, then its detailed study can clarify the type of pathology. With the development of a basic disease, the thyroid gland enlarges evenly. A single node on the thyroid gland, which is well palpable, may indicate the development of toxic adenoma. If, when probing, many nodes are determined, then they talk about multinodular goiter. If, before the development of goiter, the patient was ill with some kind of viral disease, then there is a basis for suggesting thyroiditis in subacute form. In the absence of thyrotoxicosis, but in the presence of nodes and goiter, a tentative diagnosis of thyroid cancer is made.
The heart rate, as a rule, depends on the severity of the manifestations of thyrotoxicosis. Typically, the hands of patients with the disease are hot.
Tremor of the extremities, developing with thyrotoxicosis, is usually of finely spreading nature. During a medical consultation, the patient can hardly sit in one place.
In the diagnosis of thyrotoxicosis, so-called eye symptoms should also be considered. So, if the patient is asked to follow the doctor’s eyes with his eyes, then in a healthy person the upper eyelid moves in proportion to the speed of the eyeballs. If a person is sick with thyrotoxicosis, then when the eyeball moves between the eyelid and the iris of the eye, a strip of sclera remains. In this case, the patient himself may complain about the sensation of a foreign object or sand in his eyes when the eyeball moves. Any of the other eye symptoms found in the diagnosis of thyrotoxicosis may indicate the development of a bazedovy disease, which requires the use of additional research methods .