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Thyroid disease is a medical condition that affects the structure and/or function of the thyroid gland.The thyroid gland is located at the front of the neck and produces thyroid hormones [1] that travel through the blood to help regulate many other organs, meaning that it is an endocrine organ.
Treatment of the thyroid disease usually leads to resolution of the paralytic attacks. Depending on the nature of the disease, the treatment may consist of thyrostatics (drugs that reduce production of thyroid hormone), radioiodine , or occasionally thyroid surgery.
Without thyroidectomy, almost all patients with MEN2B develop medullary thyroid cancer, in a more aggressive form than MEN 2A. [13] [19] The ideal age for surgery is 4 years old or younger, since cancer may metastasize before age 10. [14] Pheochromocytoma - a hormone secreting tumor of the adrenal glands - is also present in 50% of cases. [14]
They generally occur in endocrine organs (e.g. thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenals), but may also occur in endocrine tissues of organs not classically thought of as endocrine. [2] MEN2 is a sub-type of MEN (multiple endocrine neoplasia) and itself has sub-types, as discussed below. Variants in MEN2A have been associated with Hirschsprung disease.
Treatment depends partly on the cause and severity of disease. [1] There are three main treatment options: radioiodine therapy, medications, and thyroid surgery. [1] Radioiodine therapy involves taking iodine-131 by mouth which is then concentrated in and destroys the thyroid over weeks to months. [1]
Surgery to remove the thyroid is another option. [1] Eye problems may require additional treatments. [1] Graves disease develops in about 0.5% of males and 3.0% of females. [5] It occurs about 7.5 times more often in women than in men. [1] Often, it starts between the ages of 40 and 60, but can begin at any age. [6]
TED causes inflammation and damage to the tissues around the eye and usually occurs in people with Graves' disease, an immune system disorder that results in overproduction of thyroid hormones.
Hypothyroidism is more common in women than in men. [3] People over the age of 60 are more commonly affected. [3] Dogs are also known to develop hypothyroidism, as are cats and horses, albeit more rarely. [13] The word hypothyroidism is from Greek hypo-'reduced', thyreos 'shield', and eidos 'form', where the two latter parts refer to the ...