Patients living in the Alexandria, Virginia area, are welcome to visit Prime Medical Care, LLC, for all of their medical and urgent care needs. Dr. Dan Bishwakarma specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of various types of thyroid disease.
Thyroid Q & A
What are the symptoms associated with hyperthyroidism?
Hyperthyroidism is caused when the thyroid gland produces excessive amounts of thyroid hormones. Also known as Graves disease, an overactive thyroid can lead to extreme weight loss, rapid heart rate, insomnia, irritability, and excessive sweating. When hyperthyroidism begins to become severe, the patient should be evaluated by an endocrinologist who can better treat conditions that affect hormone levels throughout the body. An endocrinologist can provide treatment options that a general practitioner cannot. In most cases, hyperthyroidism is diagnosed by a primary care or family physician and then sent to a specialist when the condition begins to affect other areas of the body.
What are the symptoms of hypothyroidism?
Hypothyroidism is the opposite of hyperthyroidism. An underactive thyroid does not produce enough thyroid hormones to support the body’s normal function. A person who is diagnosed with hypothyroidism has a wide range of symptoms including fatigue, depression, and poor circulation. Without the proper thyroid hormones to act as a catalyst and trigger other reactions throughout the body, most of the body’s organs will not function efficiently. The body’s temperature may fluctuate and energy levels will drop dramatically. The metabolism can become sluggish causing all of the body’s processes to slow down causing the body to weaken considerably.
How are these thyroid conditions treated?
Dr. Bishwakarma screens for and treats common thyroid disorder like hypothyroidism. He refers patients to specialists if they have severe hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism (Grave’s disease) or thyroid cancer.
Treatment plans may include a radioactive iodide treatment, anti-thyroid medication, and surgical procedures to remove the thyroid completely may be used. One of the first steps is to halt the gland’s ability to produce hormones, this is normally accomplished with a radioactive pill that destroys or damages the cells in the gland that produce the hormones. Another way is to surgically remove the gland. No matter what method is chosen, in the end, the thyroid hormones must be replaced in order for the body to function efficiently. Hormone replacement therapy uses synthetic versions of the natural hormones to regulate other functions in the body.
Dr. Bishwakarma also screens for complications and other medical conditions associated with thyroid disease, like depression in hypothyroidism and arrhythmia (atrial fibrillation) in hyperthyroidism.
