Hyperthyroidism (Grave s disease)

Hyperthyroidism is a common multifactoral disease due to excessive secretion of thyroid hormone which is an endocrine disease. Clinical picture is mainly characterized by increased basal metabolic rate (BMR) and increased physic excitability. Besides, one often has increased appetite and increased food intake (polyphagia), lose weight (to cachexia), dislike of hot weather, excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis), heart palpitation, non-motivated anxiety and enlargement of thyroid gland (goiter); these are special symptoms of the disease and may accompanied by different degree of ocular symptoms e.g. protruded eyeballs (exophthalamic symptoms), a white strip of sclera between the edge of eyelid and the upper margin of the cornea which appears as the eyeball moves downwards (Graefe??s sign), vision is fixed on a slowly approaching object (Moebius?? sign), in diffuse goiter. Pathologically, the thyroid gland shows diffuse, nodular or mixed type of enlargement; at the same time, the thyroid hormonal effect acts on many organs (affection of internal organs) and system which leads to pathophysiological changes of the whole body. If treatment is not given in time, it may cause other secondary diseases and even yields thyroid hormones intoxication symptoms (thyrotoxicosis) and leads to death. The modern medicine considers the exact factor of this disease is still unknown, it is related to many reasons, for example acute infection (tonsillitis, rheumatism, etc.) and psychic trauma, long term of mental injury or strong mental stimulation that includes worry, frighten, tension, etc; secondly, iodine may also induced this disease (iodine-induced hyperthyroidism), familial factors are also important. This disease is seen mostly in women. The diagnose is mainly according to the clinical symptoms, body signs and laboratory examinations which show the increased of BMR, for instance, murmurs and thrill in vessels of thyroid area that has higher diagnostic value. The modern medicine controls the BMR and uses symptomatic therapy in treatment against this disease; for severe hyperthyroidism, significant goiter or nodular goiter, as well as stress symptoms or relapse of disease with long term medicine usage, they can perform surgical intervention (thyroidectomy). In Chinese medical studies, this disease belongs to the category of qi ying (enlargement of lower frontal neck region, may have nodules, moves while swallowing, appears and disappears due to emotional factors, not causing uncomfortable). The traditional Chinese doctors think that the occurrence of disease is closely related to mental state, emotional stress, stagnant of liver s Qi, upset of liver and weakness of spleen, disturbances of water metabolism or converting liver s upset to heat, heating of salive will turn into phlegm, all these will accumulated at the neck area and cause goiter, accumulated at the eyes causing protruded eyeballs; vigorous of liver s heat shall cause emotional anxiety, anger, over consume of Qi and injury of Yin, contradictorily across the spleen and stomach will case stomach s Huo (heat) to flourish and so increased appetite; weakness of heart s Yin resulted in dislike of hot temperature, heart palpitation, if ascends to the kidney s Yin, it will later yields symptoms of insufficiency of kidneys Yin. Clinical treatment resultsTreated 150 cases; 118 cases recovered clinically (clinical symptoms and body signs disappeared, T3 and T4 return to normal level), 30 cases recovered basically (symptoms disappeared basically, T3 and T4 return to normal level) and 2 cases turned out better (symptoms and body signs disappeared basically, T3 and T4 decreased about 50% compared to previous state).