Is hyperthyroidism a chronic disease?

The scientific name of hyperthyroidism is hyperthyroidism. Typical symptoms are exophthalmos, eyelid edema, decreased vision, etc. The excessive secretion of thyroid hormone by the body can also make people hyperactive, causing palpitations, sweating, and increased eating and bowel movements. Although hyperthyroidism can be cured, it requires long-term treatment. So many people think that hyperthyroidism is a chronic disease. So, is hyperthyroidism a chronic disease? Let’s take a look below.

The reason why hyperthyroidism is not called a chronic disease is that once this disease is discovered and actively treated, it can be cured in a relatively short period of time, and hyperthyroidism is not likely to relapse after active treatment and recovery. Therefore, hyperthyroidism is neither an acute disease nor a chronic disease.

treat

There are three methods for treating hyperthyroidism: antithyroid drug therapy, radioactive iodine therapy and surgical treatment.

There are two types of antithyroid drugs - imidazoles and thiouracils. The representative drugs are methimazole (also known as "thimazole") and propylthiouracil (also known as "propylthiouracil").

Drug treatment is suitable for pregnant women with hyperthyroidism, children, and patients with mildly enlarged thyroid gland. Treatment generally takes 1 to 2 years, and the drug dosage needs to be increased or decreased during treatment according to the thyroid function. Drug treatment has some side effects, including granulocytopenia, drug allergy, impaired liver function, joint pain and vasculitis. The side effects of drugs need to be closely monitored in the early stage of drug treatment, 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. Once it occurs. Immediately discontinue emergency medication. Another disadvantage of drug treatment is the high relapse rate after discontinuation of medication.

Both radioactive iodine therapy and surgical treatment are destructive treatments, and hyperthyroidism is not likely to recur. Radioactive iodine is suitable for patients with moderate thyroid enlargement or recurrence of hyperthyroidism. Doctors calculate the radiation dose required for each patient based on the patient's thyroid gland's uptake rate of radioactive iodine. Radioactive iodine is absolutely contraindicated in pregnant and lactating women. Because radioactive iodine has a delayed effect, the incidence of hypothyroidism is 3% to 5% per year over time. Radioactive iodine therapy is not suitable for hyperthyroid patients with thyroid eye disease because the eye disease may worsen after treatment.

Surgical treatment 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.