Viewing 2 posts - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • Anonymous
    Participant
    Post count: 93172

    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 facilitator

    Anonymous
    Participant
    Post count: 93172

    Hi 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

Viewing 2 posts - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.