Answer
It's a busy random Tuesday. You have a packed schedule full of errands to run, meetings to attend and you're full of energy and wide awake. Suddenly as you're on your lunch break or a business phone call, a strange fog rolls in and you can barely keep your eyes open. You go to the bathroom to splash some cool water on your face to perk yourself up. While looking in the mirror you notice that your hair is thinning and your face is more pale than normal. The winter weather is more potent than usual to you lately. The aforementioned difficulties are some of the early symptoms of hypothyroidism.
The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located in the lower area of the neck. Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid does not produce enough hormone. Conversely, hyperthyroidism is an illness caused by overproduction of thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormone helps the body to use energy properly. It assists the heart in beating at a normal rate, facilitates the use of oxygen, and the use of calories for energy. These functions are just a few of the things the thyroid hormone helps the body to do.
Some of the early symptoms of hypothyroidism include fatigue, weight gain or trouble losing weight, hair loss,physical weakness,constipation, depression,and high serum cholesterol. Such symptoms may seem minor at first but can and do get worse. Complications of untreated or under treated hypothyroidism can include diabetes,heart disease, heart attacks,heart failure,coma, and life threatening depression. There is also the possibility of a growth of a goiter (a large tumor on the thyroid), these can be cancerous or benign. They can also grow large enough to impair breathing and food consumption.
A low functioning thyroid is known to have many possible causes. The most frequent cause, though, is an auto-immune dysfunction known as Hashimoto's disease. Hashimoto's disease causes the body's immune system to attack the thyroid. Another main cause is trauma to the gland itself by thyroid cancer growths, goiters, and other types of auto-immune diseases. Removal of the thyroid, either whole or in part can also cause the disorder or worsen pre-existing hypothyroidism.
Hypothyroidism is definitely a serious disease. Treatment does exist, mostly in the form of oral hormone replacement. People who may have the disorder are usually diagnosed by way of a blood test. Pills are usually the vehicle of treatment for the illness. These pills are usually composed of synthetic hormone replacement. This line of treatment will most likely have to continue for the rest of a patient's life. People with hypothyroidism will generally need to visit their doctor at least quarterly and have blood tests to check levels of various chemicals and nutrients in their blood.
Hypothyroidism is a very daunting illness, but patients can take a pro-active approach in dealing with their illness by working with their doctor. Taking medications as directed and adopting a healthy low fat and low cholesterol diet and exercise program will help people with this illness function normally again.
Sources:
Personal Experience
The American Thyroid Association
The Mayo Clinic
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