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Too Much Hormone: Understanding Hyperthyroidism

Summary & Participants

Hyperthyroidism is a serious hormonal imbalance that most women know little about. It’s caused by an overactivity of the thyroid gland, which can lead to symptoms ranging from weight loss to vision problems. Because of its subtle symptoms this condition often goes misdiagnosed. Join our panelists as they discuss the causes, symptoms and tests available that can help diagnose this condition.

Medically Reviewed On: June 23, 2008

Webcast Transcript

HOLLY ATKINSON, MD: Hello and welcome to our webcast. I'm Dr. Holly Atkinson. Hyperthyroidism is a condition that most women know little about. Much less than they should. Caused by an overactivity of the thyroid gland, it can lead to symptoms ranging from weight loss to visual problems, and it's often misdiagnosed. Joining me are two experts. Dr. Melissa Katz, from the Weill-Cornell Medical College, and Dr. Rick Haber, from Mt. Sinai School of Medicine. Welcome Rick. Rick, let's start with you. Give us a brief overview of what the function of the thyroid gland is.

RICHARD HABER, MD: The normal function of the thyroid gland in people and also in lower animals and all vertebrates, really, is to regulate the metabolism -- the rate that your body, the cells in your body burns fuel. When there's too much of it around, the metabolism is too fast, too high -- which is why people lose weight when they're hyperthyroidism, despite eating more, in many cases.

HOLLY ATKINSON, MD: Melissa, what exactly is hyperthyroidism?

MELISSA KATZ, MD: Hyperthyroidism is the overproduction of thyroid hormone by the thyroid gland. It can be due to Graves' Disease -- where the whole thyroid itself is diffusely enlarged and too much -- both T4 and T3, they're predominant thyroid hormones -- are made. It can also be due -- and this occurs more often in an elderly patients -- that they can have a toxic nodule. One nodule within the thyroid gland is overproducing thyroid hormone.

Regardless of the exact cause, the symptoms are usually fairly common. They can include weight loss, increased perspiration, palpitations -- including a rapid heartbeat -- and a tremor, is a very common presentation.

HOLLY ATKINSON, MD: Any difference in terms of how hyperthyroidism presents: age, old versus young, or gender, women versus men. Are certain groups prone to certain symptoms?

MELISSA KATZ, MD: Women are certainly much more prone to hyperthyroidism as a whole. And Graves' Disease occurs much more often in the younger female or male. And a toxic nodule is more common presentation in an elderly patient.

HOLLY ATKINSON, MD: Rick, she's been using the term "Graves' Disease." Why in the world is it called "Graves' Disease," and what exactly causes it, do we know?

RICHARD HABER, MD: It's not called "Graves' Disease" because it's considered "grave." It's named after an early nineteenth-century Irish physician, Robert Grave. So it's one of those things that's named after a doctor. And Graves' Disease is an overactivity of the thyroid gland, which is caused by the body's immune system making an antibody that stimulates the thyroid. It is as if there was too much stimulating hormone, but there's not.

HOLLY ATKINSON, MD: And do we know what triggers the immune system to do that?

RICHARD HABER, MD: It appears to be familial in many cases.

HOLLY ATKINSON, MD: So it runs in the family.

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