The thyroid gland is a small, butterfly-shaped organ situated at the base of the neck. It releases certain hormones that regulate the metabolism of an individual. The thyroid hormone controls a number of vital body activities such as breathing, body weight, heart rate, muscle strength, body temperature, menstrual cycles, cholesterol levels, etc. The thyroid gland is an essential element of the endocrine system. It produces, stores and releases the thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) into the circulatory system to make them reach each and every cell of the body. Iodine, a component present in salt and many other food products is necessary for the normal functioning of the thyroid gland and the production of its hormones. The levels of T3 and T4 must not be either too high or too low. The hypothalamus and pituitary gland maintains the balance of T3 and T4 hormones in the body.
Malfunctioning thyroid gland affects the entire body. If too much thyroid hormone is produced, it may lead to a disease called hyperthyroidism. On the other hand, if too little thyroid is produced, it can cause hypothyroidism. Both of these conditions require medical intervention. Anyone, at any age, can get thyroid disease, but both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism are more common in females. Along with this, thyroid cancer is also prevalent among females. Thyroid disorders mainly occur due to iodine deficiency. But in areas where deficiency of iodine is non-prevalent, thyroid disorders usually occur due to autoimmune diseases.
Hyperthyroidism:
The condition of hyperthyroidism has an overactive thyroid gland that produces thyroid hormone in excess, more than what the body requires. This accelerates many body functions such as heart rate and metabolism. Hyperthyroidism is most commonly caused by Grave’s disease. In this disease, problems are associated with the patient’s immune system.
Symptoms of Hyperthyroidism:
At the initial stage, the signs and symptoms of hyperthyroidism are not noticed. Usually, it takes a lot of time to get noticeable symptoms but when the metabolic rate becomes high, a lot of symptoms are observed. The symptoms of hyperthyroidism include rapid and irregular heartbeat, nervousness and anxiety, weight loss in some people (even when the full diet is consumed or even more than that), irritability, eating more than usual, sleeplessness, shivering in fingers and hands, feeling hot at normal temperature, excessive sweating, more than usual bowel movement (sometimes diarrhea), weakness of the muscles, less than normal bleeding during menstruation, redness, bulging or irritation in the eyes. Hyperthyroidism increases the risk of osteoporosis (weak bones, prone to fracture). Actually, hyperthyroidism affects bone at the very beginning, before the advent of any other symptom. This can happen more in women after menopause or the one who has a high risk of osteoporosis already.
Treatment:
The treatment of hyperthyroidism variesaccording to the symptomsand the root cause of hyperthyroidism. The doctors usually prescribe antithyroid medicines that inhibit the production of thyroid hormones from the gland. These medicines do not usually cause long-term destruction of the thyroid gland. Another drug for the treatment of hyperthyroidism is beta-blockers. These drugs help slow down the heart rate and relieve other symptoms. Beta-blockers are just used to treat the symptoms until any other treatment came into effect. They cannot reduce the amount of thyroid that is produced. Another treatment uses radioiodine to kill the thyroid cells that produce the hormones. This can often cause permanent hypothyroidism. The last option for treating hyperthyroidism is the surgical removal of all, or parts of the thyroid gland.
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Endocrinology and Thyroid Clinic offers expert care from the experts for various metabolic, pituitary, thyroid and diabetes-related conditions. You will have access to the latest screening services, a choice of diagnostics and treatment options, and step-by-step support throughout your treatment journey.
Hypothyroidism:
It is a condition in which the thyroid gland fails to produce enough thyroid hormone. In females, the most common cause of the hypothyroid disorder is Hashimoto’s disease. It is an autoimmune disease in which the antibodies destroy the thyroid gland and disrupts the production of thyroid hormone. In hypothyroidism, the functioning of the body slows down, including the metabolism.
Symptoms of Hypothyroidism:
It often takes several years to develop the symptoms of hypothyroidism. In the early stages, the person may feel sluggish, tired, and weak. The metabolism slows down gradually which results in developing other signs and symptoms such as feeling cold at normal temperature, muscle weakness, constipation, weight gain despite not eating much, feeling depressed or sad, muscular pain, pale and dry skin, feeling tired all the time, slow heartbeat, thinning of hair, hoarse voice, swollen face, less than normal sweating, more than usual bleeding during menstruation, and increased level of LDL cholesterol which is generally referred as bad cholesterol.
Treatment:
The medicines given for hypothyroid patients maintain the level of thyroid hormone in the body. These medicines contain synthetically manufactured hormones resembling the ones that the thyroid produces naturally. It is generally advised for the patients to take the hormone capsules throughout life.
Thyroid Cancer:
When the cancerous cells arise from the tissues of the thyroid gland then it is called Thyroid Cancer. Generally, the people suffering from thyroid cancer develop thyroid nodules at the early stage which does not have any specific symptom. But when the disease progresses, the nodule can get bigger in size swelling, or formation of a lump in the neck region. The person may have difficulty in swallowing or even get a hoarse/husky voice. Various tests are being done to know whether the nodule is cancerous or not. In most cases, the thyroid nodules are non-cancerous in nature.
Treatment:
The first and foremost treatment for thyroid cancer is surgery to remove the entire thyroid gland or parts of it. The doctors may also advise using radioiodine therapy. This therapy is used to kill any cancerous cells that are in case left after surgery.
Postpartum thyroiditis:
Postpartum thyroiditis is another disorder of the thyroid gland affecting females after delivering a child. It is characterized by the inflammation of the thyroid gland. Generally, it is not diagnosed as the symptoms resemble the ‘baby blues’ that happen after delivery. Women suffering from postpartum thyroiditis may feel mood swings and tiredness. This disorder generally occurs in two stages.
The first stage begins after 1-4 months of giving birth and can sustain for two months. In this stage, the patient may have symptoms of hyperthyroidism as the thyroid hormones seep out into the blood through the damaged thyroid gland.
The second stage starts 4-8 months after the delivery of the baby and can sustain for about 6-12 months. In this stage, the patient may develop symptoms of hypothyroidism. This happened because the thyroid gland has already lost most of the hormones. The symptoms of hypothyroidism may also occur because the immune attack has already been terminated and the thyroid gland has now started recovering.
Treatment: The stage of this disease and the symptoms decides the treatment of this thyroid disorder.For e.g. if the patient develops the symptoms of hyperthyroidism at the first stage, the treatment will focus on reducing the hyperthyroidism.
