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Høyt stoffskifte Engelsk Do you have high metabolism? Do you feel restless and irritable for no particular reason? Do you have heart palpitations and a high pulse even when at rest? Are you always hungry but lose weight even though eating more than before? Are you sleeping poorly? Are you sweating more? Do you have trembling hands? Many people have high metabolism without knowing it. If you have several of these symptoms you should consult with your doctor and ask to be tested for high metabolism (hyperthyroidism). What is high metabolism? High metabolism (hyperthyroidism) occurs when the thyroid produces too much of the thyroid hormones that control activity in all the cells of the body. The condition makes the entire body work more quickly than normally. The most common cause of high metabolism is Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disorder where the body’s immune system attacks the gland, leading to increased hormone production. It is not known why this happens. Other causes of high metabolism are toxic oedema, when a benign node produces excessive hormone, or toxic goitre, when one or more nodes do the same. Many people with high metabolism have a genetic predisposition for it. That means that if someone in your family has a metabolic disorder, you have a somewhat elevated risk of having one. Symptoms of high metabolism: Symptoms of high metabolism include restlessness and irritability, heart palpitations and a high pulse, weight loss despite increased eating, trembling hands, increased sweating, diarrhoea, menstruation disturbances, fatigue and sleeping problems. Metabolism can be too high for a long time before being detected. This period is often difficult, with high frustration and perhaps also a conflict-filled relationship to one’s environment. If you have symptoms of high metabolism, you should consult your doctor. The diagnosis is made with the help of a simple blood test. How is high metabolism treated? Treatment for Graves’ disease usually starts with tablets that inhibit production of hormones in the thyroid until metabolism is normalised. In long-term illness or recurrence of Graves’ disease, treatment with radioactive iodine or removal of the thyroid may be alternatives. In many cases of toxic oedema or toxic goitre radioiodine therapy is the first-line treatment. Thyroid surgery or radioiodine therapy means that the patient will have low metabolism and will have to be permanently treated with thyroid hormone. What is low metabolism? Low metabolism (hypothyroidism) makes the entire body work more slowly than normally. If low metabolism is untreated, you may feel very tired and sleepy, and have problems with memory and the ability to concentrate, feel cold, feel discouraged and depressed, lose weight, have dry skin, dry hair, constipation and swelling around the eyes. Treatment consists of a supplement of thyroid hormone (thyroxine) in tablet form. Norsk Thyreoideaforbund Fr. Nansens plass 9, 0160 OSLO Tel: 22 94 10 10 Email: [email protected] Bus. reg. no: 981 054 121 Low metabolism occurring after radioiodine therapy or thyroid surgery is chronic, and one will have to take metabolic medication and go to the doctor for monitoring for the rest of one’s life. If the medicine is not taken, the symptoms of low metabolism will recur. After radioiodine therapy, women should wait six months before becoming pregnant. This sixmonth rule also applies to men who want to become fathers. This is because radioactive iodine can affect the quality of sperm and egg cells, thereby increasing the risk of birth defects. Many people with metabolic disorder take their medication every day and take little notice of the illness. Some struggle to find the right dosage, or have symptoms of the disease even though the blood tests show that their metabolism is well-adjusted. Along with the blood tests, the way you feel must be the basis of your treatment. That is how you will find the appropriate tablet dosage. Consult your doctor if you think your dosage should be adjusted. Women with low metabolism should also exercise caution with respect to pregnancy. It is important that metabolism be wellregulated and carefully monitored before, during and after pregnancy. Why is it important to undertake treatment? Untreated high metabolism will over time cause other complaints, including severe heart problems, especially in elderly people. The earlier one starts treatment, the better adapted it is and the better you monitor it yourself, the greater the chance you will have of living a completely normal life. Metabolic disorder and pregnancy Women with high metabolism should not become pregnant before completing their treatment. Should pregnancy occur anyway, it is important to contact your doctor immediately. Pregnancy may make it necessary to alter the treatment programme, and mother and foetus should be carefully monitored by a specialist throughout the pregnancy. An untreated or badly regulated metabolism can cause problems in the pregnancy and a slightly increased risk of a miscarriage. It is important for the foetus’s development that the mother’s metabolism be normal, especially in the first months of pregnancy. Would you like more information? If you have other questions about metabolic disorders, you are welcome to contact Norsk Thyreoideaforbund (Norwegian Thyroid Association) on 22 94 10 10 or [email protected]. We provide contact with others who have metabolic disorders, arrange courses and conferences and publish the membership magazine Thyra four times a year. Norsk Thyreoideaforbund has local chapters across the country. You can read more about metabolic disorders and Norsk Thyreoideaforbund on our website: www.stoffskifte.org. Based on the brochure of Den Norske Spesialistgruppen i Thyreoideasykdommer and input from the Internasjonal helse- og sosialgruppe (IHSG). The project is supported by ExtraStiftelsen Helse og Rehabilitering with Extra funds. Norsk Thyreoideaforbund Fr. Nansens plass 9, 0160 OSLO Tel: 22 94 10 10 Email: [email protected] Bus. reg. no: 981 054 121