Thyroid Disease Flashcards
describe the structure of the thyroid
- Two Lobes & Isthmus
- Normal weight is around 10-20g, and it is impalpable
What is the blood supply of the thyroid gland
Arterial supply from the superior and inferior thyroid arts
What cells is the thyroid gland made out of
- Follicular cells arranged around colloid pool
- C cells – calcitonin producing
where are the parathyroid glands
- on the back of the thyroid
- 4 parathyroids glansd
What do C cells produce
Calcitonin
Describe how thyroid hormone is made
- thyroid is the only part of the body that can concentrate iodine
- iodine within the blood vessel is imported into the follicular cell via the sodium iodine transporter
- it is transfered through the cell and into the follicular lumen with the colloid
- at the same time as that the ER makes a protein called thryoglobulin which is passed into the colloid
- whilst bound to thyroglobulin the amino acid tyrosine has idoines added to it by the enzyme TPO
- the tyrosine has 4 iodine added to it to generate T4
- T4 is then passed back through the cell and is excreted into the blood stream
- carried in the blood where it is bound in the albumin
What is the main active thyroid hormone
T3
Where does conversion to T3 from T4 take place
- It takes place in the cell where the thyroid hormone is acting
- this occurs via deiodinases
How is the thyroid hormone controlled
Via positive and negative feedback loop
Describe the feedback loop for thyroid hormones
- Hypothalamus releases TRH
- TRH acts on the pituitary
- pituitary releases TSH
- TSH acts on the thyroid gland to release T3 and T4
- T3 and T4 negatively feedback on the pituitary and TSH and the hypothalamus and TRH
What happens in graves disease
- TSHR antibody
- binds to the TSH receptor and stimulates its activity producing T3 and T4
- leadS to hyperthyroidism
Thyroid hormones have major …
Thyroid hormones have major importance in neural development in the fetus
What are the symptoms of thyrotoxicosis
- diarrhoea
- weight los s
- increased appetite
- restlessness
- sweats
- heat intolerance
- palpations
- tremor
- irritability
- laudable emotions
- oligomenorrhoea and infertility
- loss of libido
What drug history can lead to thyrotoxicosis
- amiodarone - contains a large amount of iodine
- lithium - interfers with iodine
- interferon
- retrovirals
What signs do you see on examination with thyrotoxicosis
- Fast/irregular pulse (e.g. AF)
- Warm moist skin
- fine tremor
- palmar erythema
- thin hair
- lid lag
- lid retraction (exposure of sclera above iris causing stare)
- goitre or thyroid nodules
- thyroid bruits
What investigations do you do in thyrotoxicosis
Thyroid Function Tests (TFTs)
In thyrotoxicosis it will show:
- Raised free T4 and T3
- Suppressed TSH
- Thyroid antibodies positive in Graves
- Gastric Parietal cell antibodies often a marker of autoimmune disease
What can cause thyrotoxicosis
- Graves’ Disease
- Toxic Multi-nodular goitre
- Toxic adenoma
- Destructive thyroiditis
- Excess Iodine (Jod-Basedow)
- Drugs – eg amiodarone / lithium
- Thyroid Hormone Resistance
- TSH producing pituitary tumour (rare) – secondary hyperthyroidism – raised TSH and FT4
How do you define graves disease
Autoimmune condition causing one or more of:
• Thyroid dysfunction (thyroid stimulating antibodies)
• Opthalmopathy
• Pre-tibial myxoedema
• Acropachy
Characterised by IgG autoantibodies that bind to and activate TSH (thyrotropin) receptors, causing smooth thyroid enlargement and thyroid hormone production, and react with orbital autoantigens
What can trigger graves disease
- stress
- infection
- childbirth
What should you find in graves disease
- Diffuse smooth goitre with a bruit
• Often a family history
• Other autoimmune disease may accompany – eg. Type 1 diabetes, Addisons’, Hypoparathyroidism, Premature Ovarian Failure
• Thyroid stimulating antibodies characteristically present
What antibodies do you find in graves disease
Thyroid stimulating antibodies
What do you find in graves eye disease
- often a smoker
- painful
- tearful and grittiness
- dipoloppia
- visual acuity reduced
- loss of colour vision
- redness
- proptosis
- Lid lag and retraction
What are the investigations you should do in graves ophthalmology
MRI orbits
TFTs
What is the treatment of graves eye disease
Can be sight threatening, so steroids, radiotherapy or surgery may be required
Why does colour vision and visual acuity decreases or is lost in graves eye disease
- the fact that the muscle and fat behind the eye causes stretching of the optic nerve
- at the apex of the orbit of the eye there is less space for the nerve and the muscle and the nerve can be compressed
graves pre tibial myxoedema is…
rarer than graves eye disease
What forms can graves pre-tibial myxoedema take on
- dark plaques
- lymphoedeamtous
- fairly nasty dermatopathy
What is the treatment of thyrotoxicosis
Medicines
- Carbimazole
- Propylthiouracil
- Propranolol - may hlep wiht symptoms
radioiodine
Surgery
What are the side effects of carbimazole
- rash occurs in 1 in 100,
- agranulocytosis 1 in 1000
- warn about sore throat - if they get a sore throat they need to stop taking the tablet and get an FBC
How is radioiodine a treatment for thyrotoxicosis
- I-131 - destroys the gland
- Ablates thyroid and can cure disease, but concerns over radiation exposure to children and close contacts, subsequent hypothyroidism and need for thyroxine, worsening of thyroid eye disease
• Used in relapsed disease when carbimazole fails to cure
What is hypothyroidism
- the clinical effect of lack of thyroid hormone
What symptoms do you find with hypothyroidism
- tiredness - sleepy, lethargic
- weight gain
- reduced appetite
- cold intolerance
- constipation
- menorrhagia
- hoarse voice
- impaired memory and cognition
- dementia
- myalgia
- cramps
- weakness
What are the signs of hypothyroidism
BRADYCARDIC - Bradycardia - Reflexes relax slowly - Ataxia (cerebellar) - Dry thin hair/skin - Yawning/drowsy/coma - Cold Ascites +/- non-pitting oedema +/- pericardial or pleural effusion - Round puffy face/double chin/obese - Defeated demeanour - Immobile - CCF
also
- neuropathy
- myopathy
- goitre
What are the severe symptoms of hypothyroidism
- coma
- hypothermia (Myxoedema Coma)
What are the causes of hypothyroidism
- Iodine deficiency - commonest cause
- Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
- Congenital hypothyroidism (1 in 4000)
- Iatrogenic
- Post-partum thyroiditis
What is the commonest cause of hypothyroidism
• Iodine deficiency - commonest cause
What is cretinism
- Congenital hypothyroidism
What is the treatment of hypothyroidism
Treat with levothyroxine – titrated to target TSH (aim for normal range)
What is a high TSH with a normal TH4 due to
- intercurrent illness
- inadequate dose
- malabsorption
- poor concordance with therapy
if someone has been hypothryoid for a long time what do you want to do
- want to gently introduce thyroxine
- don’t want to give a high dose straight away as can alter metabolic rate and be dangerous
What is the history of a multinodular goitre
- lump in neck (how fast is it growing?) • any symptoms of thyrotoxicosis? • dysphagia • cough / dyspnoea / stridor • sudden enlargement or pain
What would you find of examination of a multinodular goitre
- size
- retrosternal extension (percuss over sternum)
- thyroid status
- signs of airway compromise
What is the investigations of a multi-nodular goitre
- Thyroid function test
- Lung function – signs of tracheal compression
- CXR +/- thoracic inlet views
- Ultrasound scan +/- fine needle aspiration
- CT (without contrast)
Why do you not give CT contrasted to someone with a multi-nodular goitre
if you give a contrasted CT (contains iodine) to someone with a multinodular goitre you are going to introduce thyrotoxcosis
What is the treatment of a multinodular goitre
• Surgery vs RadioIodine
What is the history of thyroid neoplasia
• Neck lump / swelling – rate of change
How do you investigate a thyroid neoplasia
- Ultrasound scan +/- Fine Needle Aspiration
- Consider checking calcitonin levels – elevated in medullary cancer of the thyroid
- Chest XR
What surgery can you do on a thyroid neoplasia
- Diagnostic hemithyroidectomy
* Near-total thyroidectomy
What treatment can be used for a thyroid neoplasia
- Near-total thyroidectomy helps to confirm histology – whether papillary / follicular cancer
- Adjunctive therapy - Iodine 131 ablation
- Therafter - suppressive thyroid replacement – ie high dose thyroxine to suppress TSH and reduce chance of recurrence
- External beam radiotherapy also given
- Serum thyroglobulin is a useful tumour marker – rising levels may indicate recurrence
- Iodine tracer scan may also be useful for monitoring
what is the drainage of the thyroid gland
- Superior and middle thyroid veins = these drain into the IJV
- inferior thyroid vein = these drain into the brachiocephalic vein
What two cells make up the thyroid gland
- follicular cells
- parafollciular cells (C cells)
What does follicular cell produce
T3 and T4