Hypothyroidism, also known as low thyroid, occurs when your body does not secrete enough thyroid hormone for its proper functioning.
The thyroid is known to be a small, butterfly-shaped gland located at the front side of the neck. It is responsible for the secreting of hormones that use energy to regulate the functioning of the body.
Your thyroid is responsible for the provision of power to the organs in your body. It is responsible for controlling how your heart beats and how your digestive system carries out its functions.
If your body does not produce the adequate and required amount of thyroid hormone, your body’s proper functioning begins to decrease rapidly.
Hypothyroidism is also called underactive thyroid, and it affects women more than it affects men. It usually occurs in individuals over the age of sixty but can happen to persons at any age. It can be easily diagnosed or detected through a routine blood test or after various signs and symptoms have occurred.
If you have been diagnosed with underactive thyroid or hypothyroidism, it is essential to know that the treatment is easy, safe, and extremely effective.
Some of these treatments aid by supplying your body with artificial varieties; these hormones produce what your body cannot produce independently and thereby return your body to its normal functioning.
What are the signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism?
The symptoms and signs of hypothyroidism may vary in persons. The severity of hypothyroidism directly affects the symptoms and signs that a person might experience. Some of these symptoms can be difficult to identify in individuals.
Early symptoms of an underactive thyroid may include fatigue and weight gain. Both of these symptoms become more regular as you begin to age irrespective of your thyroid’s health. You might not diagnose that these changes are directly related to your thyroid’s health until more signs and symptoms appear.
In many individuals, these symptoms of underactive thyroid develop gradually over the years. As the thyroid begins to get slower, the symptoms become more easily identifiable. It is essential to know that many of these symptoms occur naturally as you start to age and get older.
If you suspect that you might have underactive thyroid because of the symptoms you experience, you must speak with your doctor. A blood test can be conducted to check if you have hypothyroidism.
The most common signs and symptoms of an underactive thyroid include:
Fatigue or tiredness- Depression and sadness
- Aching muscles and joints
- Constipation
- Feeling cold
- Dry, flaky and itchy skin
- Excess weight gain or obesity
- Lack of generation of heat
- Decreased sweating
- Slowed heart rate
- Elevated blood cholesterol
- Dry and thinning of hair
- Hair loss
- Impaired memory
- Puff and sensitive face
- Hoarseness
- Fertility issues
- Irregular or missed periods
- Lack of concentration and difficulties in remembering
What causes hypothyroidism?
Varieties of conditions can cause hypothyroidism. However, the most common causes of hypothyroidism include:
An autoimmune disease
Your immune system is responsible for guarding your body cells from the invasion of bacteria and viruses. When a bacteria or virus that is unknown to your body system penetrates it, your immune system responds by sending fighter cells to destroy the bacteria or virus.
At times, your body can misinterpret healthy and normal cells for invading or foreign cells. This is known as an autoimmune response.
If the autoimmune response is not adequately treated or regulated, your immune system begins to attack your healthy and normal cells. This can result in chronic medical conditions like hypothyroidism.
Hashimoto’s disease is a type of autoimmune disease, and the most prevalent cause of this disease is hypothyroidism. Hashimoto’s disease directly attacks your thyroid gland and causes inflammation of the thyroid.
This inflammation can result in a reduction in the functioning of the thyroid gland. It is widespread to find multiple family members suffering from this condition.
Treatment for hyperthyroidism
If your thyroid glands produce more than the required and adequate amount of thyroid hormone, it is known as hyperthyroidism. Treatment for this condition includes normalizing and reducing the production of thyroid hormone in an individual.
At times, some particular medicines like radioactive iodine cause the thyroid hormones to remain low permanently.
Surgical removal of your thyroid
If your thyroid gland is removed to treat hyperthyroidism, you might develop hypothyroidism. Using the thyroid treatment for your entire life is the primary medication.
If a little portion of your thyroid is removed, you might still be able to produce thyroid hormones. Blood tests would be conducted to know how much thyroid medication you would need.
Radiation therapy
If you have been diagnosed with cancer of the head, neck, blood, or lymphoma, and undergo radiation therapy, you are very much likely to develop hypothyroidism. Radiations used in the treatment of cancer restrict your body’s ability to produce thyroid hormones.
Medications
Several medications lower the ability of your thyroid glands to produce thyroid hormones. The drugs use in the treatment of psychological conditions, cancer, and heart diseases are also inclusive in the types of medications that cause an underactive thyroid.
Diagnosing hypothyroidism
There are two primary tools used in diagnosing hypothyroidism. They include:
Medical evaluation
Your doctor would check your medical history and complete a thorough physical exam. They would search for physical signs of hypothyroidism like:
- Dry or flaky skin
- Slowed reflexes
- Swelling
- A slower heart rate
Your doctor might also ask to know if you have been experiencing any symptoms of an underactive thyroid such as fatigue or tiredness, depression or sadness, constipation, and feeling consistently cold.
If you have a family member who has thyroid conditions, you must let your doctor of therapist know about it during the exam.
Blood tests
Blood tests are the most common ways to be sure that a patient has hypothyroidism. A standard test known as the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) test is carried out to measure how much thyroid-stimulation hormone your pituitary gland creates:
- If your thyroid does not produce the adequate and required amount of hormones, the pituitary gland boosts the thyroid-stimulating hormone to heighten the production of thyroid hormones.
- If you have an underactive thyroid, your thyroid-stimulating hormones are increased as your body attempts to stimulate more of your thyroid hormone activity.
- If you have hyperthyroidism, your thyroid-stimulating hormone levels are reduced as your body attempt to stop the excessive production of thyroid hormone.
A test known as the thyroxine level test is beneficial when it comes to diagnosing hypothyroidism. Thyroxine is a hormone that is directly secreted by the thyroid gland.
When combined, thyroxine and thyroid-stimulating hormone aid in the evaluation of thyroid functions. If you have low thyroid-stimulating hormones and a reduced thyroxine level, you typically have hypothyroidism.
Medications for hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism is known to be a lifelong condition. However, specific treatments and medications help reduce or alleviate the symptoms of underactive thyroid.
An underactive thyroid is best treated using levothyroxine (Levothroid, Levoxyl). This is an artificial or synthetic version of thyroxine hormone which performs the exact function of the thyroid hormone your body typically produces.
This medication aims at returning your thyroid levels to the standard and natural levels in your blood. Once your thyroid and thyroxine hormones are restored to their normal levels, you begin to feel some relief from the symptoms that are closely associated with an underactive thyroid.
Once you start taking your medications, it might take a few weeks for you to feel relieved. You would need to go for regular check-ups for blood tests to know your level of progress. You and your doctor would work together to figure out the medication which suits you best.
In some cases, people on hypothyroidism treatments must remain on the medication for the rest of their lives. To ensure that your medications are working correctly, your doctor should test your thyroid-stimulating hormones yearly.
If your blood levels indicate that the drugs are not working effectively, your doctor can opt for another type of treatment that would work effectively.
Dietary recommendation for people with hypothyroidism
Generally, there is no specified diet for people with hypothyroidism. However, there are some diet recommendations you should follow to lessen the symptoms of underactive thyroid. These recommendations include:
Eating a balanced diet
Your thyroid glands require an adequate amount of iodine to function effectively. You do not need to consume iodine supplement to get the nutrients. You can rather eat food like whole grains, beans, lean protein, and vegetables, which are rich in iodine.
Monitor soy intake
Excess intake of soy can restrict your thyroid glands from producing the adequate thyroid hormone needed for the proper functioning of your body.
It is essential to take the average amount of soy to boost your production of thyroid hormones. Foods rich in soy include tofu, soy milk, soybeans, soy sauce, and vegan cheese and meat products.
Conclusion
Hypothyroidism is a condition whereby the thyroid glands are incapable of producing the needed amount of thyroid hormones for the proper functioning of the body.
There are various causes of hypothyroidism like autoimmune diseases, treatment for hyperthyroidism, surgical removal of your thyroid, and specific medications.
Hypothyroidism’s common symptoms include depression, dry and flaky skin, constipation, always feeling cold, and weight gain. Hypothyroidism is known to be a lifelong condition, but it can be treated with some necessary medications and changes in lifestyle.
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