NR 283 Week 6 Assignment; RUA; Pathophysiological Processes; Exploring Hypothyroidism

Exploring Hypothyroidism Hannah Walsh Chamberlain University College of Nursing NR 283: Pathophysiology Professor Debrah Pinamang February 16th, 2025 Exploring Hypothyroidism Thyroid function is necessary for living a balanced life where you feel and function at your best. When one’s thyroid is not functioning correctly, whether overactive or underactive, one will feel off balance and unwell. The disease that is going to be discussed today is hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is the formal name associated with an underactive thyroid. An underactive thyroid produces insufficient amounts of free thyroxine (FT-4) (Taylor, et. al., 2024). Hypothyroidism is more common in older women and people with low iodine levels. It can also be linked to autoimmune diseases and certain medications. Maintaining balanced thyroid function is imperative for healthy functioning. Etiology and Risk Factors Hypothyroidism, which, as previously discussed, is an underactive thyroid. Many people can be at higher risk due to predisposing factors. Some of these predisposing factors can include age, family history, lifestyle choices like smoking and obesity, iodine deficiency and pituitary gland dysfunction (Taylor, et. al., 2024). When a person is iodine deficient, it can put them at greater risk of developing hypothyroidism by impairing thyroid synthesis. Additionally, pituitary gland dysfunction can also lead to hypothyroidism because the pituitary gland is responsible for the production of TSH. Understanding risk factors and possible family history is important in helping to diagnose and maintain healthy thyroid functioning. Pathophysiological Processes The pathophysiological process of hypothyroidism is quite interesting. Essentially, it is an endocrine disorder that results from the body not producing enough thyroid-stimulating hormone, which makes your hormones imbalanced and leaving your body in a constant state of deficiency (Zamwar & Muneshwar, 2023).. The patient that suffers with hypothyroidism in essence has their body is in a state of panic because having insufficient hormones leaves them functioning with a deficient amount of TSH. This insufficiency requires medicine to to allow the body to become balanced and function at its proper capacity. Clinical Manifestations and Complications When looking to diagnose hypothyroidism, some of the clinical manifestations are consistently feeling cold, weight gain, fatigue and weakness, bradycardia, joint pain, muscle aches, menstrual pattern changes, and elevated blood cholesterol levels (Taylor et al. 2024). One of the complications of hypothyroidism is anemia. The reason anemia is a risk is because the lack of TSH can result in lower blood cell production in the bone marrow. When hypothyroidism is left untreated, it can cause infertility, heart failure, and even potentially a myxedema coma (Zamwar & Muneshwar, 2023). Diagnostics When doctors are trying to identify and diagnose if a patient is suffering from hypothyroidism, they utilize a multitude of tests along with a tho