What are the treatments for hyperthyroidism

The treatment of hyperthyroidism must be carried out in the correct way. First of all, you must pay attention to proper rest in your life and avoid strenuous physical activities. At the same time, you must also pay attention to the appropriate use of some medications. If necessary, surgical resection should be adopted.

1. General treatment

After diagnosis, when the hyperthyroidism condition has not yet been controlled, it is necessary to obtain the patient's full understanding and close cooperation as much as possible, arrange a reasonable diet, and eat a high-calorie, high-protein, high-vitamin and low-iodine diet; relax the mind; get enough rest and avoid heavy physical activity. These are necessary and cannot be ignored.

2. Drug treatment

Thiourea drugs are the main treatment method for hyperthyroidism in my country and many countries in the world. The characteristics of this treatment method are: it is an oral medication, which is easily accepted by patients; it will not cause irreversible damage after treatment; but the medication course is long and regular follow-up is required; the recurrence rate is relatively high. Even with reasonable and regular medication, there is still a recurrence rate of more than 20% after treatment.

Types of thiouracil drugs: The clinical selection order is usually methimazole (MMI), propylthiouracil (PTU), carbimazole (carbimazole) and methylthiouracil. PTU and methylthiouracil are 10 times less potent than the others and should be used in 10 times larger doses.

Drug selection: Different doctors in different regions have different choices based on their habits and experience. PTU is often used in the United States, while MMI is more preferred in Europe. In my country, both PTU and MMI are widely used. The former is chosen because it can reduce the conversion of T4 in the circulation to T3, making it safer for pregnant women to use. The latter is chosen because it is believed to have fewer side effects and a longer-term inhibitory effect on the synthesis of thyroid hormones. Experience has shown that the drug only needs to be administered once a day, and patient compliance is good.

Auxiliary drugs: propranolol (Inderal), iodine and thyroid preparations.

3. Surgical treatment

Subtotal thyroidectomy after drug treatment has good results, with a cure rate of over 90%, but there is a certain chance of complications.

4. Radioactive iodine therapy

This method is safe and convenient, with a cure rate of 85%-90% and a low recurrence rate. In recent years, more and more countries have begun to use this method to treat hyperthyroidism. Symptoms disappear slowly after treatment, and about 10% of patients develop permanent hypothyroidism. This is a safe treatment. In the decades that this treatment has been used around the world, no increase in thyroid cancer and leukemia has been found in patients who have chosen this treatment compared to those who have not.