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Diagnosing hyperthyroidism is as easily as a simply physical because most trained doctors will immediately spot the signs in the patient by simply noticing the tremors, heart palpitations, and often the visual disturbances such as bulging eyes and fixed stare often associated with the disorder. The physicians suspicions will be confirmed by simple blood tests and palpitation with their fingers of the thyroid gland.

A persons thyroid produces two hormones, T3 and T4 which levels will be measured by blood work. These hormones are produced to regulate a persons metabolism and also their internal body temperature. A lot of people don't realize that these hormones also effect all major organs of our bodies. One of these organs is the heart. When a person suffers from hyperthyroidism they face a faster heart rate and palpitations. This can become quite severe. Left untreated for a long time hyperthyroidism will actually cause heart failure.

Hyperthyroidism is caused from an overabundance of thyroid hormones in the body. In essence the thyroid goes overboard in its production of thyroid hormones. This will effect the suffers overall health and ability to feel well and function properly.

There are many warning symptoms of hyperthyroidism. Some of these are often overlooked by the sufferer. One of the biggest symptoms virtually all people who suffer from this disorder face is an increase in body temperature. They will usually feel uncomfortably hot.

Most sufferers will also be faced with rapid weight loss. Often this is overlooked for some time because the sufferer will compensate by increasing their appetite and calorie intake to maintain their weight. They will not even realize they are doing this because the body takes over and dictates the hunger and the requirements to maintain a healthy weight. So the sufferer is constantly hungery and can consume large amounts of food with no weight gain. If the imbalance becomes too severe in the T3 and T4 even the extra calories will not aid in maintaining weight and there is a rapid loss.

Often a sufferer will have trembling hands and muscle weakness. Sometimes they suffer from an inability to get a good nights rest. There will also be an increase in bowel movements.

Due to the hearts increased beating and palpitations the person will often suffer extreme breathlessness when doing anything physically active. They will also tire easily.

The most common cause of hyperthyroidism is an autoimmune disorder known as Graves Disease.
This is a disease where the persons own immune system will turn on itself. One of the first areas that the body attacks is the thyroid gland. This causes it to overproduce the thyroid hormones and increase in size causing a goiter. Graves disease effects many avenues of the body besides the thyroid. It will often have eye involvement and skin involvement.

Hyperthyroidism can also be caused from nodule enlargement in the thyroid. Tumors often attack the gland and can be malignant. Also on some rare occasions there is no known cause o the hyperthyroidism. Some women seem to suffer from it after the birth of a baby for a short while. Why exactly this occurs is unknown but seems to have a direct link to the hormones depleting after the birth of the child.

It is also common for a person who suffers from Hypothyroidism to be struck with Hyperthyroidism. These people normally are taking a thyroid replacement hormone and their dosage ends up being too heavy. This will cause there to be too much T3 and T4 in the blood which will cause the person with an under active thyroid to be struck by a hyper thyroid condition.

Learn more about this author, Kim Sharpe.
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