A 45-year-old female presents with palpitations, tremors, and unexplained weight loss. She is visibly anxious, her heart rate is 120 beats/min, blood pressure is 140/90 mmHg, and her hands show a fine tremor. Her thyroid gland is diffusely enlarged and non-tender. What could be the potential diagnosis, and what are the next steps?
This patient's symptoms, physical examination findings, and elevated heart rate suggest hyperthyroidism, possibly due to Graves' disease. The next steps would include obtaining labs to measure thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free T4, and potentially thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI) levels. Beta-blockers can be started for symptomatic relief of tachycardia and tremors, followed by definitive treatment based on the etiology of hyperthyroidism.