In: Anatomy and Physiology
You are a primary care provider in a small town. You have 2 patients who have come to see you today. Some information about your patients, their hormone status and their symptoms is found in the table below….
Patient | Thyroid Hormones (T3 and T4) | TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) | Thyroid Releasing Hormone (TRH) | Symptoms |
Ms. McGeehee | Low | High | High |
Cold Intolerance (I'm always cold) Dry Skin Slowed Reflexes Fatigue and feelings of sluggishness Weight Gain |
Based on Ms. McGeehee’s results, describe the dysfunction or disease that she is experiencing. (NOTE: You don’t need to be clinically accurate here, but you should be able to identify the site of the dysfunction.) Why do you think a problem at this site is producing the lab values and the symptoms she is experiencing?
In this patient the site of dysfunction is the thyroid gland and she is suffering from hypothyrodism.
TSH levels that are too high or too low can indicate your thyroid isn't working correctly, TSH is produced by gland in the pituitary. When thyroid levels in your body are low, the pituitary gland makes more TSH. When thyroid levels are high, the pituitary gland makes less TSH. In this particular case since the thyroid hormone T3 and T4 levels are low, so the pituitary will produce more of TSH in trying to restore normal levels of thyroid hotmone.
The thyroid releases hormones that regulate metabolism and other bodily functions.so her underactive thyroid hormone are responsible for her symptoms of weight gain, fatigue, feeling of sluggishness, dry skin and other associated symptoms that she is experiencing. Cold intolerance is a well known symptom of hypothyroidism.These hormones help regulate metabolism and temperature. When the thyroid is not producing enough thyroid hormones, the body's processes tend to slow down and causes cold intolerance.