-
AuthorPosts
-
Hi Kayla,(This is my new nieces name also:)
You are voicing a good concern, if you are
deciding treatment options.Radioactive iodine has been used in the treatment of
hyperthyroidism for many years. Studies that were begun in
1939 demonstrated the treatment’s effectiveness, and
long-term follow-up studies from many medical centers
have confirmed its safety. Radioactive iodine in this
treatment is the same isotope (131I) used in many
laboratories to test thyroid function in uptake and scan
procedures, but the treatment dose is, of course, much
larger. Radioiodine is successful in controlling
hyperthyroidism because it goes into the thyroid gland and
remains there long enough to irradiate—and thus
destroy—large amounts of thyroid tissue. Then, within
days, it disappears from the body, either eliminated in the
urine or transformed by decay into a nonradioactive state.
If the dosage is calculated correctly, you should be well in
three to six months, and that is usually what happens. If you
are given too little radioactive iodine, you will remain
hyperthyroid, but less so than before. Surprisingly, with so
many factors to consider in choosing a proper treatment
dose of radioiodine, about 80 percent of patients have their
hyperthyroidism controlled with a single treatment.
Moreover, those who are still hyperthyroid can be given
one or more additional doses of radioiodine until they
become well.Dee
NGDF, Asst. online facilitatorHi Kayla,
There are a LOT of studies showing that RAI does not increase the morbidity — in other words, no more people die from any particular disease in the group of RAI patients than in a group of non-RAI patients. This is one of the reasons I opted for RAI rather than ATDs. No matter how small the risk, there is a risk of dying from blood poisoning when on ATDs, the longer you’re on them, the greater the risk becomes. There are quite a few of these studies online, just search for RAI studies on your favorite search engine and I bet you’ll come up with some.
Good luck!
-Ski
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.