causes of thyrotoxicosis
Many conditions and situations can cause thyrotoxicosis, including: Hyperthyroidism: Hyperthyroidism, which happens when your thyroid makes and releases too much thyroid hormone, is the most common cause of thyrotoxicosis. Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disease, is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. It represents 80% of hyperthyroidism cases. Having one or more nodules on your thyroid can also cause hyperthyroidism and thyrotoxicosis. Thyroid inflammation (thyroiditis): Thyroid inflammation (swelling) can be caused by certain bacterial and fungal infections, immune system issues and certain drugs such as lithium and interferon. The inflammation causes your thyroid to leak stored, or preformed, thyroid hormone, resulting in higher levels of hormones than your body needs. Thyroiditis can also happen after having a baby (postpartum thyroiditis). Excess thyroid medication: Consuming excess thyroid medication can cause thyrotoxicosis. This can happen if you have hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) and take too much of your thyroid medication, whether accidentally or intentionally. If you have thyroid cancer, your healthcare providers may intentionally give you excess thyroid medication to try to suppress the amount of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in your body to try to prevent or decrease the growth of your thyroid tumor. Consuming too much thyroid hormone: You can also have too much thyroid hormone in your body by consuming beef that’s contaminated with thyroid tissue from the cow’s neck. This is often called “hamburger thyroiditis,” and it’s a very rare cause of thyrotoxicosis.