Function of the Thyroid Gland
...ats and carbohydrates, help control the body’s temperature, influence heart rate and regulate the production of proteins. The thyroid gland also produces calcitonin that regulates the amount of calcium in the blood stream. The thyroid gland releases all these hormones into the blood stream. Beaton-2 The thyroid gland is under the control of the pituitary gland, which is a peanut- sized gland located in the brain. As the levels of T3 and T4 dope, the pituitary gland produces thyroid stimulation hormones (TSH) which stimulate the thyroid gland to produce more T3 and T4. Once blood levels rise, the pituitary gland senses this and responds by decreasing its TSH production. When the thyroid gland cannot properly produce T3 and T4 hormones, disorders can occur. The most common disorder is hypothyroidism, or under-active thyroid. This occurs when the thyroid fails to produce enough hormones. Symptoms such as fatigue, hoarse voice, mood swings, dry skin and hair, forgetfulness and intolerance to cold can occur. This disorder is hard to detect because it mimics other conditions and shows no symptoms in its early stages. Patients with hypothyroidism must take hormone replacement medication to correct this disorder. Another type of thyroid disorder is hyperthyroidism or overactive thyroid. This happens when the thyroid becomes overactive and produces too much thyroid hormone. Symptoms of hyperthyroidism are anxiety, irritability, difficulty sleeping, irregular heartbeat, increased sweating, weight loss despite normal food intake, brittle hair and nails. The most common known form of hyperthyroidism is Graves’ disease. Graves’ disease occurs when your immune system, which normally protects the body, mistakenly attacks your thyroid gland and causes it to overproduce the thyroid hormone thyroxine. Beaton-3 When there is too much thyroid hormone in your system, the body’s metabolic rate increase causing a number of health problems, such as irre...