Thyroid Problems Signs And Solutions!

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Understanding The Basics Of Thyroid Problems:

What is Thyroid Disease?

Thyroid Disease is a small butterfly-shaped gland found at the base of your neck, just below your Adam’s apple. This gland makes thyroid hormone that travels in your blood to all parts of your body. The thyroid hormone controls your body’s metabolism in many ways, including how fast you burn calories and how fast your heart beats. signs

Signs & Symptoms:

The signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism vary, depending on the severity of the hormone deficiency. But in general, any problems you have tend to develop slowly, often over a number of years.

At first, you may barely notice the symptoms of hypothyroidism, such as fatigue and weight gain, or you may simply attribute them to getting older. But as your metabolism continues to slow, you may develop more obvious signs and symptoms. Hypothyroidism signs and symptom may include:

• Fatigue.
• Increased sensitivity to cold.
• Constipation.
• Dry skin.
• Weight gain.
• Puffy face.
• Hoarseness.
• Muscle weakness.
• Elevated blood cholesterol level.
• Muscle aches, tenderness, and stiffness.
• Pain, stiffness or swelling in your joints.
• Heavier than normal or irregular menstrual periods.
• Thinning hair.
• Slowed heart rate.
• Depression.
• Impaired memory.

When hypothyroidism isn’t treated, signs and symptoms can gradually become more severe. Constant stimulation of your thyroid gland to release more hormones may lead to an enlarged thyroid (goiter). In addition, you may become more forgetful, your thought processes may slow, or you may feel depressed.

Advanced hypothyroidism, known as myxedema, is rare, but when it occurs it can be life-threatening. Signs and symptoms include low blood pressure, decreased breathing, decreased body temperature, unresponsiveness and even coma. In extreme cases, myxedema can be fatal.

How Do Thyroid Problems affect Women?

Women are more likely than men to have thyroid disease. One in eight women will develop thyroid problems during her lifetime.1 In women, thyroid diseases can cause:

1. Problems with your menstrual period:

• Your thyroid helps control your menstrual cycle. Too much or too little thyroid hormone can make your periods very light, heavy, or irregular.
• Thyroid disease also can cause your periods to stop for several months or longer, a condition called amenorrhea.
• If your body’s immune system causes thyroid disease, other glands, including your ovaries, may be involved.
• This can lead to early menopause (before age 40).

2. Problems getting pregnant:

• When thyroid disease affects the menstrual cycle, it also affects ovulation.
• This can make it harder for you to get pregnant.

3. Problems during pregnancy:

• Thyroid problems during pregnancy can cause health problems for the mother and the baby.
• Sometimes, symptoms of thyroid problems are mistaken for menopause symptoms.
• Thyroid disease, especially hypothyroidism, is more likely to develop after menopause.

Hypothyroidism in Infants:

Although hypothyroidism most often affects middle-aged and older women, anyone can develop the condition, including infants. Initially, babies born without a thyroid gland or with a gland that doesn’t work properly may have few signs and symptoms.

When newborns do have problems with hypothyroidism, the problems may include:

• Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice). In most cases, this occurs when a baby’s liver can’t metabolize a substance called bilirubin, which normally forms when the body recycles old or damaged red blood cells.
• Frequent choking.
• A large, protruding tongue.
• A puffy appearance to the face.

As the disease progresses, infants are likely to have trouble feeding and may fail to grow and develop normally. They may also have:

• Constipation
• Poor muscle tone
• Excessive sleepiness

When hypothyroidism in infants isn’t treated, even mild cases can lead to severe physical and mental retardation.

Hypothyroidism in Children and Teens:

In general, children and teens who develop hypothyroidism have the same signs and symptoms as adults do, but they may also experience:

• Poor growth, resulting in short stature
• Delayed development of permanent teeth
• Delayed puberty
• Poor mental development

See your doctor if you’re:

• Feeling tired for no reason or have any of the other signs or symptoms of hypothyroidism, such as dry skin, a pale, puffy face, constipation or a hoarse voice.
• You’ll also need to see your doctor for periodic testing of your thyroid function if you’ve had previous thyroid surgery; treatment with radioactive iodine or anti-thyroid medications; or radiation therapy to your head, neck or upper chest.

What Are The Causes?

When your thyroid doesn’t produce enough hormones, the balance of chemical reactions in your body can be upset. There can be a number of causes, including autoimmune disease, treatment for hyperthyroidism, radiation therapy, thyroid surgery and certain medications.

Hypothyroidism results when the thyroid gland fails to produce enough hormones. Hypothyroidism may be due to a number of factors, including:

1. Autoimmune Disease:

• People who develop a particular inflammatory disorder known as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis have the most common cause of hypothyroidism.
• Autoimmune disorders occur when your immune system produces antibodies that attack your own tissues. Sometimes this process involves your thyroid gland.
• Some think a virus or bacterium might trigger the response, while others believe a genetic flaw may be involved.
• Most likely, autoimmune diseases result from more than one factor.

2. Treatment For Hyperthyroidism:

• People who produce too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism) are often treated with radioactive iodine or anti-thyroid medications to reduce and normalize their thyroid function.
• in some cases, treatment of hyperthyroidism can result in permanent hypothyroidism.

3. Thyroid Surgery:

Removing all or a large portion of your thyroid gland can diminish or halt hormone production. In that case, you’ll need to take thyroid hormone for life.

4. Radiation Therapy:

Radiation used to treat cancers of the head and neck can affect your thyroid gland and may lead to hypothyroidism.

5. Medications:

• A number of medications can contribute to hypothyroidism. One such medication is lithium, which is used to treat certain psychiatric disorders.
• If you’re taking medication, ask your doctor about its effect on your thyroid gland.

Less often, hypothyroidism may result from one of the following:

• Congenital disease: Some babies are born with a defective thyroid gland or no thyroid gland.
• Pituitary disorder: A relatively rare cause of hypothyroidism is the failure of the pituitary gland to produce enough thyroid-stimulating hormone
• Pregnancy: Some women develop hypothyroidism during or after pregnancy (postpartum hypothyroidism), often because they produce antibodies to their own thyroid gland.
• Iodine deficiency: The trace mineral iodine, found primarily in seafood, seaweed, plants are grown in iodine-rich soil and iodized salt is essential for the production of thyroid hormones.

Complications:

Untreated hypothyroidism can lead to a number of health problems:

• Goiter: Constant stimulation of your thyroid to release more hormones may cause the gland to become larger — a condition is known as a goiter. 
• Heart problems: Hypothyroidism may also be associated with an increased risk of heart disease, primarily because high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the “bad” cholesterol — can occur in people with an under-active thyroid. 
• Mental health issues: Depression may occur early in hypothyroidism and may become more severe over time. Hypothyroidism can also cause slowed mental functioning.

• Peripheral neuropathy: Long-term uncontrolled hypothyroidism can cause damage to your peripheral nerves — the nerves that carry information from your brain and spinal cord to the rest of your body, for example, your arms and legs.
• Myxedema: This rare, life-threatening condition is the result of long-term, undiagnosed hypothyroidism. Its signs and symptoms include intense cold intolerance and drowsiness followed by profound lethargy and unconsciousness. 
• Infertility: Low levels of thyroid hormone can interfere with ovulation, which impairs fertility. In addition, some of the causes of hypothyroidism such as autoimmune disorder can also impair fertility.
• Birth defects: Babies born to women with untreated thyroid disease may have a higher risk of birth defects than may babies born to healthy mothers.

Diagnosis:

In general, your doctor may test for an under-active thyroid if you are feeling increasingly tired, have dry skin, constipation, and weight gain, or have had previous thyroid problems or a goiter.

• Some doctors recommend that older women be screened for the disorder during routine annual physical examinations.
• Some doctors also recommend that pregnant women or women thinking about becoming pregnant be tested for hypothyroidism.

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Treatment:

• Hypothyroidism is treated with medicine that gives your body the thyroid hormone it needs to work normally.
• The most common medicines are man-made forms of the hormone that your thyroid makes.
• You will likely need to take thyroid hormone pills for the rest of your life.
• When you take the pills as your doctor tells you to, the pills are very safe.

Standard treatment for hypothyroidism involves the daily use of the synthetic thyroid hormone levothyroxine (Levothroid, Synthroid, others).

• This oral medication restores adequate hormone levels, reversing the signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism.
• One to two weeks after starting treatment, you’ll notice that you’re feeling less fatigued.
• The medication also gradually lowers cholesterol levels elevated by the disease and may reverse any weight gain.
• Treatment with levothyroxine is usually lifelong, but because the dosage you need may change, your doctor is likely to check your TSH level every year.

Determining Proper Dosage May Take Time:

To determine the right dosage of levothyroxine initially, your doctor generally checks your level of TSH after two to three months. Excessive amounts of the hormone can cause side effects, such as:

• Increased appetite.
• Insomnia.
• Heart palpitations.
• Shakiness.

If you have coronary artery disease or severe hypothyroidism:

• Your doctor may start treatment with a smaller amount of medication and gradually increase the dosage.
• Progressive hormone replacement allows your heart to adjust to the increase in metabolism.
• Levothyroxine causes virtually no side effects when used in the appropriate dose and is relatively inexpensive.
• If you change brands, let your doctor know to ensure you’re still receiving the right dosage.
• Also, don’t skip doses or stop taking the drug because you’re feeling better.
• If you do, the symptoms of hypothyroidism will gradually return.

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Proper Absorption of Levothyroxine:

If you have subclinical hypothyroidism, discuss treatment with your doctor. For a relatively mild increase in TSH, you probably won’t benefit from thyroid hormone therapy, and treatment could even be harmful. On the other hand, for a higher TSH level, thyroid hormones may improve your cholesterol level, the pumping ability of your heart and your energy level.

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Disclaimer: “Nothing in this article makes any claim to offer cures or treatment for any disease or illness. If you are sick please consult with your doctor.”

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