How to treat hyperthyroidism? Several methods of treating hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism, also known as hyperthyroidism, has the following main symptoms: palpitations, heat intolerance, sweating, increased appetite, weight loss, thick neck, exophthalmos, etc. It is also known as goiter. Hyperthyroidism can be treated with medication, surgery, radioactive iodine, and other treatments.

1: Antithyroid drugs are widely used for treatment of hyperthyroidism, whether it is adults or children, men or women, mild or severe hyperthyroidism, first-time or recurrent hyperthyroidism, and pregnant or breastfeeding women. There are two types of antithyroid drugs: imidazoles and thiouracils. The representative drugs are methimazole (also known as "thiouracil") and propylthiouracil (also known as "propionylthiouracil").

2: Drug treatment is suitable for pregnant women with hyperthyroidism, children, and patients with mild thyroid enlargement. Treatment generally takes 1 to 2 years, and the dosage of the drug needs to be increased or decreased according to the thyroid function.

3: Drug treatment has some side effects, including granulocytopenia, drug allergy, liver damage, joint pain and vasculitis. In the early stage of drug treatment, the side effects of the drug need to be closely monitored, especially granulocytopenia. Patients need to be warned that if they have fever and/or sore throat, they need to check their granulocytes immediately to determine whether granulocytopenia occurs. If it occurs, stop the drug immediately and go to the emergency room. Another disadvantage of drug treatment is the high recurrence rate after discontinuation of the drug, which is about 50%.

1: Surgery is suitable for those with significant thyroid enlargement, or those who are highly suspected of thyroid malignancy, or those whose thyroid enlargement compresses the trachea and causes breathing difficulties. Before surgery, medication is needed to control thyroid function within the normal range, and oral compound iodine solution is also required as preoperative preparation.

1: Both radioactive iodine therapy and surgical treatment are destructive treatments. Hyperthyroidism is not likely to recur and treatment only requires one time. Radioactive iodine is suitable for patients with moderate thyroid enlargement or recurrent hyperthyroidism. Doctors calculate the amount of radioactivity required for each patient based on the patient's thyroid gland's absorption rate of radioactive iodine. Radioactive iodine is an absolute contraindication for pregnant and breastfeeding women.

2: Since radioactive iodine has a delayed effect, the incidence of hypothyroidism is 3% to 5% per year over time. Radioactive iodine treatment is not suitable for hyperthyroid patients with thyroid eye disease because the eye disease may worsen after treatment.

At the same time, you must also remember to improve and use it reasonably through diet, eat more light food. Iodine supplementation is necessary at this time, but iodine supplementation should be done with caution and not excessively. Appropriate iodine supplementation must achieve the best therapeutic effect. When treating hyperthyroidism, you must improve the habit of staying up late.