You are "shadowing" an endocrinologist who is examining a patient complaining of weakness, weight loss, and heat intolerance. the doctor points out the patient's obvious exophthalmos and asks for your diagnosis. what would you speculate is the patient's problem?

The right answer is hyperthyroidism.

Hyperthyroidism is a very common condition linked to hyperactive functioning of the thyroid gland.

Thyroid hormone is produced in excessive amounts.

The thyroid is the butterfly-shaped organ at the base of the neck, this gland regulates body temperature, weight and heartbeat.

The symptoms are the ones that the patient complains about:

- tiredness

- weight loss despite a preserved appetite

- bad feeling of heat

- excessive thirst

- palpitations

- tremors

- an irregular pulse

- diarrhea

- a thickening of the front of the leg

- the eyeballs coming out of the orbits

- a goiter that is an increase in the volume of the thyroid.