Hyperthyroidism can take effect at a slow pace in the beginning, and be hard to catch. But there are a few warning signs that you can look out for.
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thyroid is responsible for dispersing the appropriate levels of
hormones the cat needs in order to maintain healthy organ function.
If a tumor on the thyroid affects the ability to function properly,
and the hormones are released irregularly, it can do serious damage
to organ function. If the tumors found to cause hyperthyroidism,
are benign tumors, they are called adenomas. If they are malignant
tumors, which are far less common, they are called adenocarcinomas.
Understanding the function of a healthy thyroid, and how it takes
part in the endocrine system, is key to understanding the causes of
hyperthyroidism. The thyroid is an integral piece of the endocrine
puzzle, because it is in charge of converting iodine, absorbed from
ingested food, into hormones. The thyroid cells are special,
because they are the only cells with the ability to absorb iodine,
and they combine the iodine with the amino acid thyroxine to create
the hormones. These hormones are T4 and T3, thyroxine, and
triodothronine respectively. These hormones are used to send
messages, through the blood stream, to control the animal’s
metabolism, which is the conversion of oxygen and caloric intake
into energy. These messages are sent to every cell in the body in
order to maintain a metabolic balance. They thyroid is controlled
by the pituitary gland, which determines the existing hormone
levels, and tells the thyroid to produce more or less.
Hyperthyroidism Caused by Adenomas Adenomas or small benign tumors
located on one or both thyroid glands, can cause the thyroid to
overproduce the T4 and T3 hormones. The presence of the tumors
reduces the thyroid’s ability to receive accurate information from
the pituitary gland, resulting in improper dispersion of the
appropriate hormone levels. Hyperthyroidism Caused by
Adenocarcinomas Adenocarcinomas are very rare, but can be found to
cause hyperthyroidism in older cats. They are malignant tumors on
the thyroid glands, which grow rapidly and can spread throughout
the body. These tumors are cancerous, and prevent the thyroid cells
from maintaining a hormone balance. There are several schools of
thought, when talking about the causes of these tumors, benign or
malignant. Some researchers believe that an iodine deficiency can
impact the development of tumors, by making the thyroid work
harder. Other researchers believe that there are chemical
pollutants called polybrominated biphenyl ethers (PBEs), used in
anything from building materials to electronics and textiles, that
may cause the tumors. Another suspected cause is the chemical
bisphenol-A (BPA,) which is used in the inside lining of cat food
cans. The exact root cause is still under investigation.
