Thyroid Disorders

The body's metabolic dial · Week 8
Thyroid hormone sets your metabolic speed. It drives heart rate, temperature, weight, and energy. Too little slows everything down, which is hypothyroidism. Too much speeds it all up, which is hyperthyroidism. Click each one.

The metabolic dial

Watch the whole body speed up or slow down.
Pick a state.
Pick a statehypo · hyper · goiter

What's happening

TSH feedback (a favorite exam trick): if thyroid hormone (T4) is LOW, the pituitary senses it. It then pumps out MORE TSH to push the thyroid. So low T4 → HIGH TSH. Parathyroid caution: the parathyroids sit behind the thyroid. So after thyroid surgery, watch for hypocalcemia (hand spasm, or Trousseau's sign).