The thyroid gland regulates the body’s metabolism and keeps the metabolism at its normal level. Now, if this gland is overactive and produces a lot of hormones, one of its main symptoms is rapid weight loss of the patient. But if it works less than the specified limit and produces little hormones, the body’s metabolism will decrease and overweight will occur. This excess weight occurs mostly in the abdomen. It should be noted that if a person is hypoactive and obese, he or she will not be able to lose weight with exercise and diet, or the weight loss will be very small. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent the aggravation of symptoms by timely diagnosis of this disease.
Symptoms of hypothyroidism:
This disease may not show any symptoms in the initial stages, and the person may notice a lack of activity in a routine blood test. But in the later stages, it brings symptoms such as fatigue, overweight, severe skin dryness and cold intolerance. In different age groups and different physical conditions, the symptoms of hypothyroidism are different and are as follows:
Symptoms of hypoactivity in women:
– Irregular menstrual cycle – Depression – Facial puffiness – Hair loss or thinning hair – Swelling and pain in the joints – Decreased heart rate – Forgetfulness and memory impairment – Obesity – Chest tightness – Constipation – Increased blood cholesterol – Muscle weakness – Dry skin – enlargement of the thyroid gland, which is called goiter.
Symptoms of hypothyroidism in children and adolescents:
Although this disease is not common in children and adolescents, it can occur under the influence of genetic factors, and in addition to the common symptoms that were mentioned earlier, it also has the following symptoms: – Slow growth that causes the child to be short. – Low mental development – Late puberty – Delayed eruption of permanent teeth.
Symptoms of hypothyroidism in babies:
Some babies are born with thyroid disease, the main cause of which is genetics, and they may have the following symptoms at the beginning of birth: – Severe constipation – Yellow skin and eyes – Weak muscles – Loud crying – Difficult breathing – Feeding problems – Outside stroking the navel
If the hypothyroidism of the baby is not diagnosed and not treated, it can cause excessive sleep and a very relaxed body posture, which can lead to mental and physical retardation if not treated.
Hypothyroidism during pregnancy:
Women who have a history of this disease, the probability of their disease starting during pregnancy is higher because during pregnancy the body works for two people and there is a greater possibility of underwork. In addition, if a person is hypoactive, during pregnancy, his thyroid may become less active and more symptoms may occur in the body, such as: – Decreased concentration – Sleep problems – Hoarse voice – Abnormal weight gain – Extreme fatigue – Severe dry skin – Drooping eyelids and facial swelling – Slow heart rate – Severe constipation.
In order to prevent these severe symptoms, it is necessary for women to perform thyroid tests before pregnancy or at the beginning of this period, so that if this disease is diagnosed, the necessary treatments can be started quickly. Otherwise, lack of work can have a harmful effect on the fetus.
Hypothyroidism in men:
As mentioned before, this disease is more common in women, but men can also get it, especially if they have a genetic history and their family members have this disease. Hypothyroidism in men has the following symptoms: – feeling very cold – depression – lack of concentration – muscle pain – extreme fatigue – constipation – dry nails and hair – overweight.
What is the cause of hypothyroidism?
Hypothyroidism occurs for various reasons, which include: – Genetics: In most cases, a family history of thyroid problems causes hypothyroidism. – Autoimmune disease: In all types of autoimmune diseases, which are mostly genetic, a part of the body is recognized as foreign by the immune system and the body fights against it. If thyroid autoimmunity occurs, the thyroid loses its proper function. This disease is called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, which causes hypofunction or hyperfunction and causes inflammation of the thyroid gland. Hashimoto’s is more common in women, especially during puberty. In addition, if a person has other autoimmune diseases such as celiac disease or diabetes, the possibility of Hashimoto’s disease increases. – Treatment with radioactive iodine: In the treatment of hyperthyroidism, radioactive iodine or thyroid suppressive drugs are used, which balance its function. But they may have too much influence and cause underwork. – Exposure to radiation: If the patient undergoes radiation therapy for the treatment of neck and upper body cancer, there is a possibility of damage to the thyroid gland. – Congenital problems such as not having a thyroid gland: in babies who are born without a thyroid gland or with an incomplete thyroid, symptoms may not appear at the beginning of birth, and the only way to diagnose it is with thyroid tests. – Dysfunction in the production of thyroid stimulating hormone: in some cases, the patient’s thyroid is completely healthy and functions properly. But the pituitary gland does not issue the necessary command to produce TSH. By reducing the production of this hormone, the thyroid gland is not stimulated to produce the necessary hormones. This problem, which is called central hypothyroidism, may occur due to the lack of growth hormone, adrenal gland stimulating hormone, sex stimulating hormone and prolactin (milk secretion stimulating hormone). This disorder can be hereditary. – Lack of iodine in the diet and reducing its absorption in the body: Iodine is a very important element for the functioning of the thyroid gland. If iodine does not reach the body through nutrition, there is a possibility of hypothyroidism.
– Thyroid surgery: If part or all of the thyroid is surgically removed due to the presence of thyroid nodules or cancerous tumors, it is necessary to take levothyroxine medicine for life. Because there is no thyroid gland that produces hormones or the remaining part of the gland does not function enough. – Overuse of hyperthyroid drugs. – Side effects of some drugs: Some drugs, such as lithium drugs used to treat mental disorders, can have a destructive effect on the thyroid. – External damage to the thyroid gland. – During pregnancy: in some cases during pregnancy or after, the self-immune antibodies made in the body cause hypofunction.
Diagnosis of hypothyroidism:
To diagnose and treat the disease, it is necessary to see an endocrinologist. First, the doctor performs the necessary clinical examinations by examining the patient’s symptoms such as constipation, dry skin and overweight, and then takes help from the following methods for a definitive diagnosis: – Blood test: In this blood test, the level of TSH and T4 hormones and T3 is checked. If the T4 hormone produced by the thyroid gland is low and TSH is high, it indicates hypothyroidism. In fact, if T3 and T4 are secreted less, the pituitary gland must secrete more TSH to force the thyroid to secrete hormones. Therefore, high TSH is a sign of hypofunction. The pituitary gland, located at the base of the brain, regulates the level of thyroid hormones. It should be noted that the doctor only checks the TSH in the beginning, and if it is high, it may be necessary to check the T3 and T4 levels for a more detailed examination. There is no need to fast to perform a thyroid blood test. – Imaging: if the doctor deems it necessary, thyroid CT scan and ultrasound are also performed in addition to blood tests. In these tests, the presence of nodules or thyroid nodules is also checked.
Treatment of hypothyroidism:
After diagnosing the disease with the mentioned methods, it is necessary to start the treatment of the disease. The most common treatment method is the daily use of levothyroxine, which works like thyroid hormones for the body and causes the T4 and T3 levels to be adjusted within the normal range. In fact, if the patient takes this medicine for a while and then takes a blood test again, the TSH will not be high and will return to normal, and the patient’s symptoms will gradually decrease. The dosage of the drug is prescribed by a specialist doctor and may be increased or decreased over time. Therefore, the patient should never change the recommended dose or take the medicine arbitrarily. In most cases, it is necessary for the patient to take the drug for life, and his TSH level should be checked in periodic examinations of three or six months. If you reduce the use of medicine without the doctor’s opinion, the symptoms of the disease will return. Also, if the drug is taken in excess, it will have side effects such as increased appetite, insomnia and heart palpitations.
Complications of underactive thyroid:
If hypothyroidism is not diagnosed on time or if the patient refuses to take levothyroxine tablets, very serious complications occur that may be irreversible: – Goitre: Enlargement of the thyroid gland is one of the complications of not treating it, which causes discomfort in breathing and Swallowing becomes sick and creates an unpleasant appearance. – Mental disorders: the speed of brain function decreases and causes confusion, forgetfulness and also severe depression. – Heart problems due to the increase of LDL, which is harmful blood fat. Heart problems, especially in hypothyroid babies, cause mental and physical retardation. – If the thyroid problem is not diagnosed and treated during pregnancy, it can cause serious damage and negligible compensation to the fetus. Peripheral nerve damage: Peripheral nerves transmit messages from the brain and spinal cord to other parts of the body. With the damage of these nerves, symptoms such as muscle weakness, numbness and tingling occur. – Infertility: due to the decrease of thyroid hormones, ovulation is disturbed and eventually it can lead to infertility.