Estradiol - a female sex hormone, estrogen related; they are present in the body in several forms. During the menstrual cycle, the woman's ovaries produce from 70 to 500 micrograms of estradiol per day. Then, it is converted into estrone and, to a lesser extent, estriol. After menopause, estrone is the most active of circulating estrogen in the body. (After menopause estrone produce adrenal glands).

Estradiol stimulates the growth and development of the female reproductive organs, and supports sexual characteristics such as the presence of hair in the armpits and groin, and body shape. Moreover, it stimulates the secretion of the cervix, endometrial growth, reduces the concentration of LDL-cholesterol, and increases HDL-cholesterol.

As medicament estradiol used to relieve the symptoms of menopause (hot flushes, vaginal dryness Vaginal dryness: Causes and Symptoms And so forth), the prevention of osteoporosis Osteoporosis - he threatens you? , Reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke, as well as dysfunctional vaginal bleeding.

Contraindications

Estradiol should not be taken in conditions such as deep vein thrombosis, genital bleeding of unknown origin, pulmonary embolism Pulmonary embolism - a dangerous violation Allergic to the drug, pregnancy and breastfeeding. In addition, it does not prescribe patients, whose history has breast cancer, estrogen-dependent neoplasia, stroke, myocardial infarction and / or liver disease.

Drug Interactions

Estradiol may inhibit cleavage of cyclosporin, which can lead to dangerous for the liver and kidneys increase in the concentration of cyclosporine in the blood. If it is impossible to avoid simultaneous reception of these drugs, it is necessary to monitor the concentration of cyclosporine and adjust the dose.

Estradiol increases the risk of liver damage in patients taking dantrolene. Moreover, it stimulates the liver blood clotting factors. For this reason, patients who simultaneously receive estradiol and warfarin Warfarin - indirect anticoagulants , You must undergo regular inspection, which make sure that warfarin continues normally deal with their problems.

Rifampicin, barbiturates, carbamazepine, griseofulvin, phenytoin and primidone may interfere with the liver's ability to break down estradiol.

Side effects

Side effects of estradiol may include: menstrual irregularities, galactorrhea, chloasma, an increase in blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, bloating, indigestion, loss of hair color, skin rashes, headaches, dizziness, mood changes, swelling of the legs, thrombosis of deep or superficial veins.

Hyperthyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland produces too many hormones that are essential for the body - they, among other things, responsible for digestion and regulation of body temperature. Living with hyperthyroidism is hardly very pleasant.

In healthy people, the thyroid gland produces the hormones thyroxine Thyroxine - the main thyroid hormone   (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) in exactly such an amount as is necessary to maintain the normal functioning of the body. These hormones regulate many aspects of metabolism and, ultimately, affect how many calories we burn, how many weigh how quickly warms up in cold weather. In general, hormones of the thyroid gland Thyroid hormones: mechanism of action and physiological effects   practically supervise the metabolic processes of the body. But their duties are not limited. They influence the work of almost all organs, including the heart. Almost all cells in the body react to the increase in thyroid hormone levels, beginning to actively perform their tasks.

Hyperthyroidism is a condition in which the body produces too many of these hormones.

Symptoms

Because hyperthyroidism, metabolic processes are accelerated, patients often complain that they can be hot even at low air temperatures, and they lose weight, although they continue to eat and engage in sports as usual. However, with the soft forms of hyperthyroidism patients may gain weight because of the illness of their appetite is greatly enhanced.

In addition, patients may experience sleep problems Dreams: how to understand our dreams , Resulting in fatigue and irritability are Irritability - you try to control my temper . Other signs of hyperthyroidism are tremors of the limbs and heart palpitations. Severe forms of the disease can lead to shortness of breath, chest pain, muscle weakness, menstrual disorders. Usually the symptoms of hyperthyroidism occur so slowly that people pay attention to them only when the disease has time to progress to a large extent. In elderly people the only symptoms of hyperthyroidism are weight loss and depression, and sometimes even they are absent.

Besides the above described features, hyperthyroidism can cause the following symptoms:

• Unusually frequent urge to defecate;
• Hair loss;
• Increased sweating;
• Exophthalmos (exophthalmia).

Causes

The most common cause of hyperthyroidism is Graves' disease - a disease named after the Irish physician who first described it. This violation of the thyroid gland increases and produces too much hormone. (Thyroid enlargement also called goiter and struma in most cases then formed that secretes hormones into the iron too small amounts).

Graves' disease refers to autoimmune diseases - that is, it is a disorder in which the immune system harms his own thyroid gland. Hyperthyroidism in Graves' disease, so called antibodies produced by the immune system. These antibodies bind to cells in certain parts of the thyroid gland, causing it to generate more hormones than necessary. In addition to hyperthyroidism, Graves' disease causes inflammation of the tissues around the eyes and seal skin on his legs (pretibial myxedema). In most patients, Graves' disease affects the eyes, but if eye problems still arose an urgent need to start the treatment. Otherwise, the possible complications such as ghosting visible objects, serious visual impairment and even blindness.

Some facts about Graves' disease:

• This disease is much more common in women than in men (ratio of patients, male and female 8: 1).
• Most often, Graves' disease develops in people between 30 and 50 years. People older than 50 years fall ill very rarely.
• Graves' disease can be inherited.

Less common causes of hyperthyroidism

The cause of hyperthyroidism can also be a node in the thyroid gland, secreting excessive amounts of thyroid hormones. These nodes are benign growths or tumors. A disorder in which they are formed, called toxic nodular goiter. The thyroid gland may occur several nodes and those that produce hormones, called hot nodes. Such units consist of thyroid cells damaged by the regulatory mechanism which normally dictates how much is necessary to produce hormones.

Inflammation of the thyroid gland, thyroiditis, or may also lead to excessive secretion of thyroid hormones. In subacute thyroiditis, which is presumably caused by a viral infection, there is a painful inflammation of the thyroid and hyperthyroidism, which persists for several weeks.

More common chronic thyroiditis, which is painless. One of its variants is postpartum thyroiditis: it develops in one of the twenty women a few months after birth.

Sometimes hyperthyroidism also occurs in patients taking medications, which is composed of triiodothyronine.