A 40-year-old woman came with the complaint of restlessness, nervousness, and sleeplessness since 8 months. Her physical examination revealed tremors, warm moist hands, and an enlarged thyroid gland. Her hea rate was 120 beats per minute. What will be her thyroid profile?
High-Yield Explanation
The clinical findings are suggestive of hypehyroidism associated with goiter. Graves disease is an autoimmune condition leading to autonomous excess thyroid hormone secretion because of TSH receptor stimulation by immunoglobulin G. The continuous stimulation of TSH receptor by TSH-like antibodies results in excess T4 and T3 production. The incidence of Graves disease peaks in the third to fouh decades and is 8 times more common in women than in men. Decreased serum levels of T 3 are associated with increased concentrations of rT3, an inactive form of thyroid hormone. Elevation of TSI is associated with Graves disease and is the likely cause of the hypehyroidism seen in this condition.