Thyroid Pathophysiology Flashcards
Parts of thyroid gland
- right lobe
- left lobe
- isthmus (part in the middle)
- some have pyramidal lobe (extra, not everyone has it)
blood supply to thyroid
- superior and inferior arteries
- superior, middle, and inferior thyroid veins
lymphatic drainage of thyroid
- upper and lower deep cervical lymph node
- pretracheal and paratracheal lymph nodes
what nerves are in close proximity to the thyroid gland
- recurrent laryngeal nerve
- external motor branch of superior laryngeal nerve
thyroid gland
- weighs 20g
- two lobes joined by isthmus
- upper isthmus borders cricoid cartilage
- innervated by adrenergic and cholinergic nervous systems
thyroid gland function
-takes absorbed exogenous iodide (iodine reduced to iodide in gut) into the gland and synthesizes the two thyroid hormones T3 and T4
two thyroid hormones
- triiodothyronine (T3), 10%
- thyroxine (T4), 90%
colloid in thyroid gland
where the thyroid hormones are made
thyroid hormone production
- depends on availability of exogenous iodine
- iodine reduced to iodide in GI tract
- absorbed into blood stream
- active transport from plasma into thyroid follicular cells
- iodide trapped in follicular cell and compounded with tyrosine and thyroglobulin –> T1 and T2
- T1 and T2 coupled to make T3 and T4
T1 and T2
- monoiodotyrosine
- diiodotyrosine
where are T3 and T4 stored?
colloid of the follicular cells
thyroid hormone roles
- regulated carb, lipid, and protein metabolism
- necessary for fetal development
- CNS development and activity
- bone and tissue growth
- GI regulation
- cardiac myocytes (for contractility)
- vascular smooth muscle (for direct vasodilation)
thyroid hormone release
- interaction between three things…
- hypothalamic-pituitary axis
- thyroid gland
- thyroid hormone
hypothalamus in thyroid function
controls release of thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH)
pituitary gland in thyroid function
TRH stimulates secretion of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) from the anterior pituitary
thyroid gland in thyroid function
TSH acts on gland to ehance synthesis and secretion of T3 and T4
pituitary thyroid feedback loop
- classic NEGATIVE feedback loop exists between hypothalamus, pituitary, and thyroid gland
- increased levels of TH inhibit the secretion of TSH from the pituitary (and also TRH from the hypothalamus)
- TH levels are the primary determinant of TSH secretion
TSH function
- controls production of thyroid hormones T3 and T4
- stimulates all aspects of thyroid hormone production –> uptake of iodide from GI tract, iodide incorporation, eventual release of T3 and T4
TSH in hypothyroidism
elevated
low levels of T3 and T4, body says what the heck we need more so increase release of TSH to try and get more T3 and T4
TSH in hyperthyroidism
decreased
HIGH levels of T3 and T4, body again says what the heck, we need LESS so the amount of TSH is decreased
T3
- triiodothyronine
- 10% synthesized and release by thyroid gland
- also formed in the liver and kidneys by peripheral conversion of T4 to T3 by selenodeiodinases
- 3-4x more active than T4
- half life is 1-3 days
- 99.7% bound to albumin
T4
- thyroxine
- 90% synthesized and release by the thyroid gland
- half life of 6-7 days (about 1 week)
- 99.9% is bound to thyroid binding globulin
TH in the bloodstream
- both T3 and T4 circulate tightly bound in the blood
- T4 more tightly bound than T3 (part of which leads to its longer half life)
- larger amount of T3 (0.4%) circulates in blood as compared to T4 (0.04%)
- FREE FORM = active and drives the patient’s metabolic state
principle thyroid function tests
- TSH
- serum T3
- serum T4
- radioactive iodine uptake (RAIU)
aging and TSH
-increase in baseline TSH
normal TSH level
0.4-5.0 mu/L