Raj Kumar asked:


Hypothyroidism is a condition where the thyroid hormones are not produce in a proper amount by the thyroid gland. It may also cause due to surgical treatment when some or large part of thyroid glands are removed for treatment or happens naturally. There are many hypothyroidism symptoms which may vary according to the individuals. Often women are more diagnosed with hypothyroidism than men.

Major symptoms of hypothyroidism

Often the symptoms of hypothyroidism can vary extensively. It can show no symptoms at all or have marked symptoms. There may be less serious symptoms to life threatening ones. The nature of the symptoms is quite non-specific and they quite resemble the normal transformation of aging. Often this disease is termed as the ’silent disease’ as the early stages of the symptoms may be so mild that it is often neglected.

The hypothyroidism symptoms when it becomes noticeable and quite serious can lead to heart problems, mental disorder, rise and fall in the body temperature, difficulties in breathing and even death. The symptoms are milder when the stages of development of the hypothyroidism are early.

The general hypothyroidism symptoms are weight gain, fatigue, difficult to tolerate cold weather and sluggishness. In skins, the symptoms that will show are decrease in sweating, dryness and thick. Hairs will also become dry and brittle. It may also become thin in the eyebrows that may gradually disappear. Nails may also become quite brittle.

Women who are diagnosed with hypothyroidism will have irregularities of menstrual cycle. It may range from infrequency to absent periods to heavy and very frequent periods. When it becomes very irregular it becomes hard to get pregnant. If they are pregnant then, there are quite a few risk involved.

The hypothyroidism symptoms that show around the eyes are mild swelling, protrusion, impaired eyes movement and staring appearance. Severe hypothyroidism can lead to any trauma, feeling of coldness, infection. It can also trigger life-threatening conditions like turning into a coma.

Decreased in the lung function and weakness in the respiratory muscles are another major hypothyroidism symptoms. Swelling of tongue, sleepiness, fatigue, decreased ability to exercise, hoarse voice and shortness of breath on exertion are also other symptoms that will show.

In the cardiovascular system, the hypothyroidism symptoms are weakness in the heart’s contractions, slow heart rate, and decrease in the overall function of this organ. High level of cholesterol and mild hypertension are also caused by hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism can also depress the nervous system which leads to fatigue. It may even slow the digestive tract actions causing constipation.

Treatment of hypothyroidism

The important factor in the treatment of hypothyroidism is doing exercise frequently. Regular exercise can stimulate the secretion of the thyroid glands. People who are dieting should pay more attention this. The metabolism rate decreases when people are dieting but exercise can prevent it. You can start swimming, cycling, running and walking.

It is best when you are suffering from hypothyroidism, those foods with high giotrogens like raw food should be avoided. Lots of multi vitamins and minerals in the diet will also help. If you are noticing any of the hypothyroidism symptoms then, it is best to check out with a doctor.

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Juliet Cohen asked:


Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the body lacks sufficient thyroid hormone. Hypothyroidism is also known as an underactive thyroid. It occurs when the thyroid gland does not make enough thyroxine. Many of the symptoms of hypothyroidism are very subtle and are experienced by people without thyroid disease. Thus, a lot of physicians overlook the symptoms of fatigue, weight gain and depression and attribute them to other causes. It is a relatively common disease in purebred domestic dogs as well, and can have a hereditary basis in dogs. The risk of developing hypothyroidism tends to increase with age; older women have the highest risk. There are several distinct causes for chronic hypothyroidism in human beings, the most common being Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (an autoimmune disease) and radioiodine therapy for hyperthyroidism. The thyroid gland, located in the front of the neck just below the larynx, secretes hormones that control metabolism. Because thyroid hormone affects growth, development, and many cellular processes, inadequate thyroid hormone has widespread consequences for the body. Women, especially those older than 50, are more likely to have hypothyroidism than men are. In rare cases, hypothyroidism occurs in infants and children.

In hypothyroidism, the thyroid is under active, with too little of the thyroid hormones being released. The thyroid is situated just below your “Adams apple” or larynx. The severity of hypothyroidism varies widely. Patients are classified as “subclinical hypothyroid” if diagnostic findings show thyroid hormone abnormalities, but they do not exhibit any symptoms. Others have moderate symptoms that can be mistaken for other diseases and states. The two most important thyroid hormones are thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), which account for 99.9% and 0.1% of thyroid hormones present in the blood respectively. Untreated hypothyroidism in infants can cause brain damage, leading to mental retardation and developmental delays. Every state in the United States tests newborns for hypothyroidism. The hypothalamus is a brain structure that normally signals the pituitary gland to make thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), which causes the thyroid to make thyroid hormones. Some medical problems can affect either the hypothalamus or the pituitary gland, and interrupt the chain of signals from the brain to the thyroid. Decreased thyroid hormone effect can cause increased levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and a possible change in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. In addition, hypothyroidism may result in an increase in insulin resistance.

Causes of Hypothyroidism

The common causes and risk factor’s of Hypothyroidism include the following:

The most common cause of hypothyroidism is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, a disease of the thyroid gland where the body’s immune system attacks the gland.

Lymphocytic Thyroiditis After Hyperthyroidism.

Thyroid Destruction (from radioactive iodine or surgery).

External beam radiation, which is used to treat some cancers, such as Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This radiation treatment can destroy the thyroid gland.

An operation to remove part of the thyroid gland (usually for thyrotoxicosis ), often years earlier.

Radioactive iodine treatment for thyrotoxicosis.

Drugs such as amiodarone, interferon alpha, thalidomide, and stavudine have also been associated with primary hypothyroidism.

Use of radioactive iodine for treatment of Graves disease generally results in permanent hypothyroidism within one year of therapy. The frequency is much lower in patients with toxic nodular goiters and those with autonomously functioning thyroid nodules.

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

Some sign and symptoms related to Hypothyroidism are as follows:

A puffy face.

Tendency to feel cold.

Joint or muscle pain.

Hoarse voice.

An elevated blood cholesterol level.

Fatigue.

Feeling sluggish and tired.

Weakness.

Choking sensation or difficulty swallowing.

Goiter (enlarged thyroid causing a lump in the neck).

Coarseness or loss of hair.

Shortness of breath with a shallow and slow respiratory pattern.

Treatment of Hypothyroidism

Here is list of the methods for treating Hypothyroidism:

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.

Hypothyroidism is treated with replacement doses of thyroid hormones. Synthetic forms of these hormones are used, including levothyroxine (Synthroid, Levoxyl and other brand names), liothyronine (Cytomel) or liotrix (Thyrolar).

It is treated by replacing the amount of hormone that your own thyroid can no longer make, to bring your T4 and TSH back to normal levels.

The average dose of T4 replacement in adults is approximately 1.6 micrograms per kilogram per day.

Progressive hormone replacement allows your heart to adjust to the increase in metabolism.

Supportive therapy (oxygen, assisted ventilation, fluid replacement) and intensive-care nursing may be indicated.

Permanently decreased metabolism requires lifelong treatment with thyroxine tablets.



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Ranju asked:


The thyroid gland is located at middle part of the front of the neck. Hypothyroidism is underactive thyroid gland in which, the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormones. These hormones play an important role in body metabolism.

Pregnant lady can be labeled as ‘hypothyroid’ patient in many ways. This includes; having Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, thyroid nodules or goiter, elevated TSH (Thyroid stimulating hormone) etc. If she has had radioactive iodine (RAI) or any kind of surgery of the thyroid and now receiving any kind of thyroid hormone replacement then also she is labeled as person with hypothyroidism.

Statistically, woman has 25% higher risk to develop the hypothyroidism after pregnancy if she has diabetes or any other autoimmune diseases. During pregnancy, hypothyroidism can affect pregnancy in many ways like; it can cause infertility in woman as it prevents the egg production, pregnant lady is at higher risk for miscarriage if she has hypothyroidism. If the hypothyroidism is left untreated during the entire period of pregnancy, the lady is likely to develop high blood pressure and premature delivery.

One has to be very careful if she develops certain hypothyroidism symptoms like; dullness, droopy eyelids, abnormal weight gain, constipation, muscle cramps, thickening of skin, swelling around neck etc. However, during pregnancy, a lady is thoroughly checked by a doctor regularly, so any change in the blood report, they hypothyroidism is usually detected.

On the other hand, baby produced by mother who was untreated or partially treated hypothyroidism may not reach its full intellectual potential. The study was published in 1999, New England Journal of Medicine stating, “Women with untreated thyroid deficiency during pregnancy are four times more likely to have children with lower I.Q. scores”.

It is not that that hypothyroidism will take of your joy during pregnancy. It is to be well treated and total control over the disease will keep you as happy as normal. Once hypothyroidism is diagnosed, the thyroid hormone replacement therapy is started by doctor. The dosage is an important factor during pregnancy and is decided by your specialist. The treatment is safe and also essential to mother and fetus. One should not stop the medications by any means as this may result into dangerous irreversible situations. For the baby, it is quite rare case that you may give your hypothyroidism to your baby as hereditary. Congenital hypothyroidism appears one per 4 to 5 thousand infants. But be sure to have your thyroid treatment started as early as possible (like in first trimester) because untreated thyroid will not only affect the mother but will also make child’s physical and mental impairment.

After pregnancy also, your doctor may advise you to continue the pills for thyroid. As far as breastfeeding is concerned, trace amount of thyroid hormone medication are excreted in breast milk. But you have to see the doctor and continue nursing to baby. In fact, you must be having proper thyroid functioning and normal level of thyroid hormone to ensure enough breast milk to baby.

When a lady becomes pregnant, she is to be fed with high nutritional foods including iodine salt. She must follow the diet chart given by the specialist. All the elements like iron, vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates and fats should be supplied in well manner and with proper quantity. This will help her not only to prevent disease like hypothyroidism but also to produce a healthy child.

More articles on Hypothyroidism:

Relationship of hypothyroidism to diabetes

What Are The Symptoms Of Hypothyroidism?



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Knut Holt asked:


By hypothyroidism, the thyroid gland is producing too less hormones to stimulate the metabolism, or the body is not able to utilize the hormones. The lack of thyroid hormones slows down the metabolism and thus all the activities in the body, giving a combination of many symptoms related to slowness of bodily processes.

Hypothyroidism is common, but the frequency of the condition is not well determined. Some authorities estimate that 0.5% of the total American population have the disease to some degree. The frequency is much greater among people over 50 years of age than among young people.

 



THE SYMPTOMS AND COMPLICATIONS OF HYPOTHYROIDISM



The most common early symptoms are: Mental and physical fatigue, weakness, weight gain or over-weight, and depression.

One or more of these symptoms also use to appear early: Constipation, sensitivity to coldness, cold hands and feet, thick tongue, decreased sweating, dry hair, thin brittle hair, thin brittle nails, muscle and joint pain, pale or yellowish skin, rashes and itching.

One or more of these symptoms usually appear later: Poor memory, slow thought process, drowsiness, slow speech, thinning of eyebrows, hoarseness, low blood pressure, poor circulation, dry and flaky skin, decreased taste and smell, menstrual irregularities, skin thickening, puffy face, puffy hands and feet, swelling of extremities, overall swelling, muscle spasms, muscle atrophy, joint stiffness.

In children or young persons hypothyroidism may give developmental problems, like disturbed tooth development and short stature.

Hypothyroidism increases the risk of elevated cholesterol levels, heart disease and diabetes (diabetes mellitus). This occurs even by moderately decreased thyroid production.

 



THE THYROID GLAND AND ITS HORMONES



To understand the hypothyroidism, some knowledge about the thyroid gland and its hormones is essential.

The thyroid gland produces hormones that accelerate and in other wise regulate metabolism. A part of metabolism is the process of breaking down energy containing nutrients, and using the energy to produce molecules that all the processes and activities in the body use as fuel. Another part is the production of molecules that the body use as building materials.

The thyroid makes four hormones: Thyroxin (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), diiodothyronine (T2) and monoiodothyronine (T1). The hormones contain iodine, and the figures tell about the number of iodine atoms in each hormone molecule. T3 is not made directly, but is produced from T4. T3 is a more efficient hormone than T4. Therefore this conversion is important.

The pituitary, a gland under the brain, produces a hormone called thyrotropin or thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) that enhances the activity of the thyroid gland. If the body has too less thyroid hormone in the blood, the pituitary produces more thyrotropin. This makes the thyroid gland speed up its own production. By a too heavy thyroid hormone concentration, less thyrotropin is produced by the pituitary, and the thyroid gland slows down. This feed-back mechanism regulates the metabolism of the whole body.

 



THE MECHANISMS AND CAUSES OF HYPOTHYROIDISM



By hypothyroidism the body does not get enough thyroid hormone, or the hormones do not work effectively in the body. This causes the metabolism to slow down. When the metabolism decreases, the processes in the body do not get enough fuel and building materials, and all the body activities will therefore slow down. Energy containing nutrient will also be stored as fat, since they are not broken down.

Serious variants of hypothyroidism are called myxedema. This is a rare condition. However, less serious, but painful variants are common. There are several reasons for hypothyroidism, each giving a variant of the disease:

*An autoimmune reaction against the thyroid tissue can destroy the capability of the thyroid gland to produce hormones (for example Hashimoto’s disease).

*Sometimes the production of T3 by conversion from T4 is impaired. The total amount of hormones may be normal in these cases, but the body is still lacking T3, and gets the symptoms of hypothyroidism.

*Iodine deficiency can cause hypothyroidism, since the thyroid hormones contain iodine. In Europe and America the food is seldom short in iodine, but bad nutrition may result in iodine deficiency.

*Surgery or radiation at the thyroid area can destroy enough tissue to cause hypothyroidism.

*Injury or disease in the pituitary or of the part of the brain controlling the pituitary may cause a decrease in secreted thyrotropin, and then the thyroid will respond by producing less of its own hormones with hypothyroidism as a result.

*Some people have symptoms of hypothyroidism even though the amount of thyroid hormone in the blood is normal. One of the symptoms is raised levels of thyrotropin, indicating that the body signals need for more thyroid hormones. This variant may be caused by conditions elsewhere in the body that make it difficult for the hormone to reach their destination in the cells. In many of these cases the immune system produces anti-bodies against the thyroid hormones. This variant is called sub-clinical hypothyroidism, and responds to the same treatment as ordinary hypothyroidism.

*Some types of food can contribute to a depressed thyroid function or aggravate hypothyroidism when eaten raw in great amounts: Brussel sprouts, broccoli, corn oil, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, radishes, rutabaga, soy and turnips. By cooking these vegetables, the depressing effect is decreased

*Factors suspected for causing hypothyroidism are: The artificial sweetener aspartame, mercury pollution, dental fillings containing mercury, fluoride and heavy metal pollution.

 



HOW CAN HYPOTHYROIDISM BE TREATED



For serious hypothyroidism caused by tissue destruction, external supplement of thyroid hormones is necessary.

When the condition is caused by lack of iodine in the diet, dietary changes and iodine supplements will be a part of the treatment.

Less serious, but painful hypothyroidism is sometimes also treated with hormone supplements. In these cases it is difficult to find the right dose, and treatment may result in hormone poisoning.

You can sometimes alleviate hypothyroidism by reducing the amount of food suspected for depressing the thyroid function: Brussel sprouts, broccoli, corn oil, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, radishes, rutabaga, soy, soy products and turnips. However, these food types are valuable in many ways, so it is probably not wise to cut them out totally. Also try to avoid artificial ingredients like the sweetener aspartame, conserving additives and fluoride.

Changing out mercury dental fillings and avoiding mercury or heavy metal exposure may help to ameliorate the condition.

You may also alleviate the condition by eating food that stimulates the thyroid function according to practical experience: Chia seed, dulse, fish from the ocean, flax seed, pumpkin seed, seaweed, coconut and brewer yeast.

You can find nutritional supplements to help for hypothyroidism. The compositions of these products vary:

*They may contain building materials that the thyroid uses to make its hormones, for example: iodine, acetyl-L-tyrosine or L-phenylalanine.

*They may also contain vitamins and minerals that stimulate the mechanism of hormone production by being a part of necessary enzymes, or by helping the absorption of the ingredients that hormones are made from, like: Magnesium, zinc, selenium, copper and vitamin E.

*They may furthermore contain constituents that stimulate tissue regeneration by being part of tissue building enzymes, and thus helping to restore a degraded thyroid, for example: Folic acid or folate, vitamin B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid or pantothenate), B6 (pyridoxine), B12 (cyanocobalamin) and molybdenum.



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james sameul asked:


Hypothyroidism is the condition in which the thyroid is underactive (i.e., it is producing an insufficient amount of thyroid hormones). Hypothyroidism is the most common thyroid disorder. Severe hypothyroidism can lead to a condition called myxedema, characterized by dry, thickened skin and course facial features.

Symptoms of low thyroid function include:

·    Fatigue, exhaustion, feeling run down, sluggish, lethargic

·    Depression, restlessness, moods swings, feelings of sadness, feelings of worthlessness

·    Loss of interest in normal daily activities

·    Poor concentration, poor memory

·    An enlarged thyroid gland (goiter).

·    Modest weight gain, often 10 lb or less.

·    Swelling of the arms, hands, legs, and feet, and facial puffiness, particularly around the eyes.

·    Hoarseness.

·    Muscle aches and cramps.

What causes hypothyroidism?

Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland fails to produce enough thyroid hormone. Without enough thyroid hormone, the body becomes tired and run down. Every organ system slows, including the brain, which affects concentration; the gut, causing constipation; and metabolism — the rate at which the body burns energy — resulting in weight gain. Although there are many different causes of hypothyroidism, the resulting effect on the body is the same.

The most common cause of hypothyroidism is an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Normally, antibodies produced by the immune system help protect the body against viruses, bacteria and other foreign substances. With Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, antibodies attack the thyroid and keep it from producing enough hormone.

GRADES OF HYPOTHYROIDISM

Hypothyroidism is a graded phenomenon, ranging from very mild cases in which biochemical abnormalities are present but the individual hardly notices symptoms and signs of thyroid hormone deficiency, to very severe cases in which the danger exists to slide down into a life-threatening myxedema coma. In the development of primary hypothyroidism, the transition from the euthyroid to the hypothyroid state is first detected by a slightly elevated serum TSH, caused by a minor decrease in thyroidal secretion of T4 which doesn’t give rise to subnormal serum T4 concentrations.

Diagnostic testing

To diagnose primary hypothyroidism, many doctors simply measure the amount of Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) being produced. High levels of TSH indicate that the thyroid is not producing sufficient levels of Thyroid hormone (mainly as thyroxine (T4) and smaller amounts of triiodothyronine (fT3)).

·    thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)

* free triiodothyronine (fT3)

* free levothyroxine (fT4)

* total T3

* total T4

Manifestations of Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is a classical disease with a classical collection of clinical signs. One particularly well published survey of 162 confirmed hypothyroid dogs showed the following common findings:

·    88% had some kind of skin abnormality

·    40% had hair loss (often this starts on the tail leading to a “rat tail” appearance or a bald area around the collar is created)

·    22% had skin infection (often dogs are scaly and smelly due to an excessively oily coat)

Hypothyroidism in children

One in 4,000 babies is born with congenital hypothyroidism. In about five per cent of cases, there’s a genetic dysfunction in hormone production.

Children with acquired hypothyroidism may have other autoimmune disorders including diabetes mellitus. Both are more common in children with Down’s syndrome or Turner syndrome. It’s more common in girls than in boys.



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