Your thyroid gland may become overactive for a number of reasons. The commonest cause for an overactive thyroid gland is a condition known as Grave’s disease. In Grave’s disease your body’s immune system develops an antibody which binds to your thyroid gland and makes the gland produce an excess of thyroxine.
An overactive thyroid gland can make you feel unwell sometimes with shakes, palpitations, weight loss and anxiety. It is easy to diagnose on a blood test and can normally be diagnosed by your GP. Occasionally it settles on its own but will usually require treatment with medicines.
If it recurs following medical treatment then surgery to remove the gland might be one of the options discussed with you. Usually your endocrinologist will discuss the merits of surgery and other definitive treatments with you. One of the other definitive treatments is radioiodine which some people are keen to avoid. This is particularly the case for people with thyroid eye disease, women with young children, women who are breastfeeding or looking to get pregnant.
Consultant ENT, Head & Neck, Thyroid Surgeon
Based in Exeter – practising at the Royal Devon University Hospital & Nuffield Health
