Hyperthyroidism

Diagnosis

Your doctor will examine you, and will feel your thyroid for signs of enlargement and for abnormal lumps. He or she also may use a stethoscope to listen for signs of abnormal blood flow in the area of your thyroid gland. In other parts of your body, your doctor will check for additional signs of hyperthyroidism, including increased heart rate, a hand tremor, brisk responses to tapping with a reflex hammer, excessive sweating, diminished muscle strength and protruding eyes.

If your doctor suspects that you have hyperthyroidism, he or she will order blood tests to check your levels of thyroid hormones. Other diagnostic tests may include blood tests to check levels of certain antibodies, an ultrasound of the thyroid and a thyroid scan.

Expected Duration

In people with hyperthyroidism caused by certain types of thyroid inflammation or viral thyroid infections, levels of thyroid hormones usually return to normal after several months. In patients with Graves' disease, most people require long-term treatment, although the condition occasionally goes away on its own.