The Principle Behind It
The thyroid gland regularly takes up about a fifth Thyroid Rescue 911 Review of the total iodine ingested before the rest is disposed of in the urine via the kidneys. Normally, this iodine is taken up and goes through several processes such as oxidation and binding to tyrosine residues until they form several molecules of thyroid hormone.Now, if the iodine taken up by the thyroid gland happens to be radioactive, this will kill the thyroid cells that have taken it in. This is how radioiodine is used against hyperactive thyroid glands or patients with Graves' disease. Graves' disease is a condition wherein the body produces antibodies that continuously stimulate the thyroid to produce and release thyroid hormone despite going beyond normal levels. In such cases, this particular method may be used to destroy the hypersecreting cells to bring thyroid hormone concentrations down to normal levels.
Outcomes
The success of using radioiodine in the treatment of nontoxic goiter is affected by several factors. Cystic and fibrotic areas do not take up the iodine as actively as thyroid cells do and therefore, still remain impervious to its destructive effects. The decrease in the size is proportional to the dose of radioiodine and inversely related to the initial size of the goiter.
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