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Radiation Iodine Treatment

Radioactive iodine is the most common treatment for hyperthyroidism, or an overactive thyroid. In hyperthyroidism, the thyroid gland produces too much T4 and T3 hormone. Radioactive iodine is ingested by the patient, and the thyroid then assimilates the radioactive iodine as it would regular iodine. The iodine then radiates the gland, slowing production.

  1. Radioactive Iodine

    • Radioactive iodine is also known as radioiodine. It is chemically identical to iodine, so the thyroid cannot tell the difference between the two. The radioactive iodine has excess energy in its nucleus, however, and so will emit radiation that will affect the cells around it. Iodine-131 is the type of iodine regularly used in hyperthyroidism. It was discovered in the 1930s at the University of California at Berkeley. It is used in nuclear medicine because of its short half-life of about 8 days. For example, iodine-129 has a half-life of 15.7 million years. It is produced by the fission of uranium atoms during operation of nuclear reactors and by plutonium (or uranium) in the detonation of nuclear weapons, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

    Radioactive Iodine's Effect On Hyperthyroidism

    • When radioactive iodine is ingested, the thyroid gland treats it as if it were non-radioactive iodine. The iodine not taken in by the thyroid is quickly eliminated through the urine. As the radioactive iodine stays in the thyroid, its nucleus emits radiation, which slows production of thyroid hormone. One effect of radioactive iodine on hyperthyroidism is that the patient usually ends up with hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid. This results in the patient needing to take synthetic thyroid medication for the rest of his or her life.

    Treatments for Hyperthyroidism

    • About 90% of all patients with hyperthyroidism are treated with radioactive iodine. Over one million people in the United States have been treated with it in the past 35 years. Other treatment methods include using thyroid medication, which is effective but does have side effects, such as skin rash and, occasionally, arthritis and an increase in white blood cells, or hepatitis. Surgery is also done to remove 80 percent to 90 percent of the thyroid as a cure for hyperthyroidism. Before surgery, it is usually first necessary to treat with thyroid medication or radioactive iodine to reduce thyroid hormone levels.

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