Diagnosis of hyperthyroidism involves evaluating the patient’s symptoms and understanding his/her medical and family history. Physical examination plays an important role in diagnosing hyperthyroidism.
Hyperthyroidism can be diagnosed as follows:
1. Evaluation of Symptoms: While diagnosing hyperthyroidism, the following symptoms can be considered as confirmatory: skipped heart beats, sweating, nervousness, heat intolerance, weight loss, and difficulty in sleeping.
2. Physical Examination: In order to confirm hyperthyroidism diagnosis, the doctor may look for these symptoms: an enlarged thyroid gland, protruding eyes, increased reflexes, presence of rashes, rapidity of pulse, fine tremor in hands, and muscle weakness.
3. Blood Tests: These are particularly carried out to evaluate the blood levels of thyroid hormones. The thyroid gland is considered to be overactive when the blood levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone have decreased while those of serum-free T3, free T4, and free T4 index T3 have increased.
4. Examination of Thyroid Antibodies: This test is generally done to confirm thyroid overactivity in case of pregnant women.
5. Use of Radioactive Iodine and Thyroid Scan: These tests help confirm the hyperthyroidism diagnosis.
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