Excess iodine - causes and signs of excess iodine

In most cases, excess iodine can occur through direct contact with it, for example, by inhaling its vapors.

The organ that specializes in storing iodine obtained from external sources and creating hormones and active substances on its basis is the thyroid gland. It works with more than half of all iodine that enters the body, so fluctuations in the amount of this substance have a negative effect on this organ. A more common condition is when there is too little iodine, while an excess of this element can most often provoke the following ailments:

• Disruption of the normal rhythm of the thyroid gland, called hyperthyroidism. The endocrine system begins to work in a different rhythm due to too much iodine, which disrupts the body's metabolism and disrupts hormonal balance.
• Graves' disease is an autoimmune disease in which the body's defenses begin to see an invader or hostile body in an organ that has changed its natural rhythm. The immune system begins to fight the thyroid gland, attacking it with leukocytes, while it, provoked by this, only intensifies its work.

Iodine poisoning sometimes occurs due to the individual susceptibility of the body to it.

Causes

With an improper diet or other household circumstances, excess iodine is practically not observed. For poisoning with this substance to occur, direct contact with it is necessary, for example, when inhaling its vapors. Excess iodine is one of the main risks of complications during iodine therapy.

Symptoms

Disorders of the normal rhythm of the thyroid gland and, accordingly, the entire endocrine system due to excess iodine are realized in the following symptoms:

• The patient, with an increased appetite and larger than before, volumes of food consumed, loses weight due to significantly accelerated processes of fat and carbohydrate breakdown. The consequence is a disorder of the normal rhythm of the stomach and intestines, which manifests itself in nausea, frequent stools.
• Failures in the work of the heart occur due to an excess of substances that contain nitrogen. This affects the rhythm of the heart muscle, and a rapid pulse is observed.
• Energy and heat metabolism is often disrupted.
• Atherosclerosis often develops due to disturbances in the process of fat breakdown.
• The patient also becomes weak, his or her performance decreases, the skeleton and teeth gradually become weaker, and early gray hair appears.

A characteristic symptom of Graves' disease is damage to the eyes, their inflammation, as well as swelling and inflammation of the soft tissues around them; other symptoms are:

• weight loss;
• low resistance to stress;
• goiter appears;
• general weakness of the body;
• diarrhea;
• fever or chills.

Symptoms of this disease do not appear immediately, but gradually.

Treatment

Since excess iodine threatens the hormonal background and metabolism in general, you should seek help from an endocrinologist. Hyperthyroidism is detected by laboratory blood tests. Scintigraphy, a special image of the gland, can check for the presence or absence of Graves' disease.

Hyperthyroidism is treated in a comprehensive manner, the approach includes:

• removal of the source of strong saturation of the body with iodine;
• therapy based on drug effects on the body;
• radiation or surgical types of exposure, which are designed to reduce the activity of the thyroid gland.

Graves' disease at the beginning of its course is also treated with medication. In the absence of positive dynamics, the surgeon cuts out a small segment of the affected and therefore enlarged gland.

This type of treatment does not always help, so sometimes (exclusively with adult patients undergoing therapy) radioactive iodine is introduced into the body. It injures the gland, significantly reducing its productive capacity in order to bring it closer to the normal level.

Prevention

Prevention of excess iodine in the body is the isolation of possible sources of threat. This is either a change in activity, in the case of work that is dangerous for iodine poisoning, or a proper diet (which should be prescribed by a nutritionist, since it should be developed on an individual basis).