Thyroid's Physiological Influence
- Regulates body temperature, skin moisture
- Controls oxygen, calcium, cholesterol levels
- Hormone imbalance leads to serious symptoms
Commonality of Thyroid Disorders
- Hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease
- Overproduction of thyroid hormones
- Immune system disorder
- Importance of maintaining hormone balance for homeostasis
Hormone Cascades
- Start from the hypothalamus or pituitary gland
- Involve target glands releasing hormones into blood
- HPA axis controls stress response
Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Thyroid (HPT) Axis
- Regulates daily physiological processes
Functions of Thyroid Hormone
- Maintains blood pressure
- Promotes tissue growth
- Induces secretion of digestive juices
- Regulation of metabolism and heat production
Negative Feedback Mechanism
- Pituitary and hypothalamus monitor hormone levels
- Decrease production if hormone level is high
- Prevents overheating and over-metabolism
Graves' Disease Mechanism
- Autoimmune dysfunction
- Abnormal antibodies targeting thyroid cells
- Mimic hormones from pituitary
- Thyroid keeps producing hormones despite reduced stimulus
- Results in unregulated thyroid activity
Symptoms of Graves' Disease
- Persistent heat and sweating
- Unregulated metabolism (weight loss)
- Bulging eyes due to inflammation
Treatment
- Inhibit thyroid hormone production
- Block hormone effects to restore balance