We have all experienced the nervousness and worry associated with preparing for an examination at school, beginning a new job, receiving an unexpected bill in the mail, or recalling a traumatic moment from the past. These feelings are natural and usually short-lived.
Then there are those who suffer a nearly constant state of anxiety that's apparently unrelated to external stresses. Such recurrent anxiety can be caused by generalized anxiety disorder, a fairly common psychological condition that is difficult to overcome with treatment.
But there is another type of anxiety and restlessness that is easier to treat because it is caused by an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism).
The secretion of thyroid hormone is normally controlled by the release of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) from the pituitary gland. In Grave's disease, however, which causes about 90 percent of cases of hyperthyroidism, the thyroid becomes overstimulated, so that the normal control of thyroid hormone secretion is lost, with the result that excessive amounts of the hormone are released. Grave's disease can strike at any age, but it is particularly common among young women.
Some of the symptoms of hyperthyroidism (referred to as thyrotoxicosis) — such as restlessness, rapid heart rate, emotional instability, agitation, and difficulty sleeping — resemble anxiety. However, Grave's disease is also usually associated with other symptoms that point to an overactive thyroid gland. These may include:
- excessive sweating
- intolerance to heat
- weight loss, despite increased appetite
- thinning of the hair
- tremor
- a staring appearance and protrusion of the eyes
- enlargement of the thyroid gland (which may produce a swelling in the center of the front of the neck)
It is important to recognize these manifestations of Grave's disease and make a doctor's appointment because the disorder is not only quickly diagnosed with blood tests that measure thyroid hormone levels, but it is also usually treated easily.
Proper therapy not only eliminates the obvious symptoms but also prevents the disorder from worsening and producing more serious ill effects like osteoporosis and associated bone fractures, heart rhythm disturbances (atrial fibrillation), heart failure, elevated blood sugar, and — with severe uncontrolled hyperthyroidism — even death.