Hypothyroidism Nursing Diagnosis

Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough hormones. Hypothyroidism can be primary or secondary to other conditions, such as Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disorder that causes the body’s immune system to attack its own tissues. Signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism include fatigue, muscle weakness or pain, low heart rate (bradycardia), constipation and weight gain.

Hypothyroidism Nursing Diagnosis

1 Decreased cardiac output

• Cardiac output: An important indicator of cardiac function. Cardiac output is the amount of blood pumped from the heart in 1 minute, and is measured in cubic centimeters per minute (cc/min).
• Measuring cardiac output: One way to measure cardiac output is by use of an indirect calorimeter. Another method involves using a catheter inserted into the pulmonary artery, which connects at one end to the right ventricle and at the other to a balloon that expands when inflated with water. This method allows for quick access but may cause complications such as pulmonary edema or air embolism if not done properly.
• Treating decreased cardiac output: Treatment depends on what is causing decreased cardiac output, but may include medications or surgery if necessary.

2 Deficient knowledge regarding condition/treatment

Patient’s knowledge of condition:

Patients with hypothyroidism exhibit deficient knowledge regarding their condition. They may not be aware that they have it, or they may have conflicting information about its effects on their health and well-being.

Patients with hypothyroidism exhibit deficient knowledge regarding their treatment. They may not know how to manage their treatment plan or monitor for side effects.

Patients with hypothyroidism exhibit deficient knowledge regarding self-care behaviors related to managing hyperthyroidism (e.g., weight gain due to decreased metabolism).

Patients with hypothyroidism exhibit deficient knowledge regarding medication (e.g., dosage amounts and frequency).

3 Risk for deficient fluid volume

Risk for deficient fluid volume

The patient’s hypothyroid state can cause a decrease in cardiac output, which leads to reduced compensatory responses such as blood pressure and sweating. Thus, the patient may not have enough fluid to maintain homeostasis.

4 Imbalanced nutrition, less than body requirements

As a nurse, you must be aware of the importance of nutrition in the treatment of hypothyroidism. Because hypothyroidism can cause weight gain and fatigue, it may affect the patient’s ability to maintain an adequate nutritional intake. In addition, the disease itself can cause symptoms that interfere with eating or prevent patients from eating at all.

The following section provides some general suggestions for helping your patient improve his or her diet:

• Encourage patients who have fatigue from their condition to have small meals throughout the day rather than three large meals (as long as they are able to eat enough calories). This will help keep blood sugar levels steady during times when energy levels are low.
• Recommend foods rich in iodine (seafoods like tuna fish) because these provide essential nutrients without increasing caloric intake significantly. However if your patient has allergies or follows a vegetarian diet then other sources should be considered such as sea vegetables including kelp flakes which contain high amounts of iodine along with other vitamins B12 & B6; plus iron magnesium potassium copper iodide sodium selenium zinc manganese chromium cobalt nickel boron lithium carbonate etcetera!

5 Activity intolerance

Activity intolerance is a common symptom of hypothyroidism that can include fatigue, weakness and shortness of breath. Reactive airway disease (asthma) is also a frequent complaint among patients with hypothyroidism because the condition causes inflammation in the lungs.

6 Fatigue

• Fatigue is a common symptom of hypothyroidism.
• It may be caused by the disease itself, or by the treatment.
• The patient may experience fatigue due to lack of thyroid hormone.
• The patient may also experience fatigue as a result of not getting enough sleep at night.
• Fatigue can also happen when a person does not exercise regularly (or at all), which can lead to muscle weakness and muscle pain in some people with hypothyroidism.

7 Risk for impaired parent-child attachment related to chronic illness of the child.

• The child’s chronic illness is a major stressor for the family.
• The stress may interfere with the parent-child relationship, which can have an effect on mental health. These include:
• Child is sick, parents are distracted by concern and worry.
• Parental anxiety causes them to lose patience or become abusive toward their child.
• Child feels unsafe around their parent(s).
• Child becomes angry with caregiver(s) and withdraws from them emotionally as well as physically (e.g., no longer willing to sit on lap).

8 It is vital that you understand all the potential nursing diagnosis for the disease.

It is vital that you understand all the potential nursing diagnosis for the disease. The more nursing diagnoses you know, the better equipped you will be to help patients with hypothyroidism.

If a patient has a disease such as hypothyroidism and he or she is unable to swallow properly, this can result in malnutrition because they may not be able to absorb nutrients from their food. This condition can lead to an abnormal weight loss or gain, and it may also lead to dehydration depending on how severe it is; therefore this would be considered an abnormal lab value that could indicate complications with swallowing during mealtime due to decreased motility of muscles surrounding esophagus (throat). This could lead us into further discussions about medications used for GERD which may have side effects such as constipation from decreased bile production causing poor digestion of fat due t lack of digestive enzymes produced by pancreas; thus leading us into discussion about another potential nursing diagnosis!

Closing

It is vital that you understand all the potential nursing diagnosis for the disease. This will ensure that you can properly assess and treat your patient in a timely manner.