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Diagnosis and Treatment of Hyperthyroidism

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Clinical Applications of Nuclear Medicine Targeted Therapy

Abstract

This chapter deals with the current management of patients presenting with an excess of circulating thyroid hormones. This condition is known under two different words: hyperthyroidism and thyrotoxicosis describing two distinct pathologic conditions that should be recognized at diagnosis because they have a different natural history and may have different therapeutic approaches. The hypertiroidism indicates a condition determined by an excessive synthesis of thyroid hormones by the thyroid tissue, any cause. In the United States hyperthyroidism has a prevalence of approximately 1.2% of the population. The most common cause is Graves’ disease (GD), followed by toxic nodular goiter, whose prevalence increases with age, particularly in the regions of iodine deficiency, or single hyperfunctioning thyroid adenoma (Plummer’s adenoma) and, more rarely a TSH-producing pituitary adenoma. The thyrotoxicosis reflects any medical condition associated with high levels of thyroid hormones in the blood, secondary to destructive process of the thyroid or caused by improper intake of drugs or supplements containing thyroid hormones. In this manuscript the Authors report the main important condition of of hyperthyroidism and thyreotoxicosis, the current approaches for their diagnosis, and the options for the treatment of patients (medical treatments, radioisotopic treatment). The most important drugs used in the clinical practice are examined, and some clinical recommendations before particular treatments are reported.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Endocrinology, Humanitas Gavazzeni, Bergamo, Italy

    Rosa Miranda Testa & Silvia Martinelli

  2. Department of Medical, Surgical and Neurological Sciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy

    Furio Pacini

Authors
  1. Rosa Miranda Testa
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  2. Silvia Martinelli
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  3. Furio Pacini
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rosa Miranda Testa .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Humanitas Gavazzeni Hospital, Bergamo, Italy

    Emilio Bombardieri

  2. Nuclear Medicine Therapy and Endocrinology, Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milano, Italy

    Ettore Seregni

  3. Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV - IRCCS, Padova, Italy

    Laura Evangelista

  4. Nuclear Medicine Division, Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milano, Italy

    Carlo Chiesa

  5. Nuclear Medicine, Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milano, Italy

    Arturo Chiti

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Testa, R.M., Martinelli, S., Pacini, F. (2018). Diagnosis and Treatment of Hyperthyroidism. In: Bombardieri, E., Seregni, E., Evangelista, L., Chiesa, C., Chiti, A. (eds) Clinical Applications of Nuclear Medicine Targeted Therapy . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63067-0_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63067-0_1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-63067-0

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