Hypothyroidism is a condition where you have an underactive thyroid gland and is the most common of all thyroid disorders. If your thyroid gland is underactive, it isn’t creating enough of the thyroid hormones thyroxin and triiodothyronine. This hormone is responsible for many bodily functions and helps control metabolism, energy, weight fluctuations, cholesterol levels, and more.
Depending on the severity of your case, people can live for years with hypothyroidism and never display symptoms. In other cases, however, hypothyroidism can lead to serious heart, weight, and energy problems. Therefore, it’s vital to get hypothyroidism diagnosed as early in life as possible so that you can start treatment and prevent future problems.
Your thyroid hormones get distributed to and affect nearly every major organ in the human body. As a result, people with hypothyroidism can display a wide range of symptoms depending on which organs are affected and how severe their condition is. Here are some of the most common symptoms of hypothyroidism.
As you can see, hypothyroidism symptoms run the full spectrum of the human body. The problem with this is that many other conditions mimic these same symptoms, which makes hypothyroidism impossible to diagnose on your own. The only way to know if you have the condition is to seek a diagnosis from a medical professional.
The cause of hypothyroidism is when your thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormones help regulate your body temperature, protein production, how quickly your body uses fats and carbs for energy, and much more. Several things can cause you to develop hypothyroidism.
The most common cause of hypothyroidism is when you develop an autoimmune disease known as Hashimoto’s. With this disorder, your body attacks your thyroid gland and nearby tissue and inhibits its ability to produce thyroid hormones.
If you have had to have thyroid surgery in the past, it can inhibit the way your thyroid produces hormones.
Radiation therapy during cancer treatment can cause thyroid damage leading to hypothyroidism.
Thyroiditis is another common cause of hypothyroidism.
Various medications used to treat psychiatric disorders, specifically lithium, can lead to hypothyroidism.
While anyone can get hypothyroidism, you’re at higher risk if you have a family history of hypothyroidism, are female, get pregnant, or are over 60.
Because of the wide range of symptoms accompanying hypothyroidism, it’s difficult to diagnose without further testing. When you go to your doctor for a diagnosis, they’ll start by administering a physical exam and getting your health history. If they suspect hypothyroidism, they’ll administer a blood test.
The blood test, known as the thyroid stimulating hormone test, will measure the number of thyroid hormones in your bloodstream. Your doctor will also palpate your thyroid gland to see if it’s enlarged, which is a sign of hypothyroidism.
Unfortunately, hypothyroidism is a chronic condition for which there isn’t a cure. However, there are things you can do to treat the condition. The most common hypothyroidism treatment is hormone replacement therapy, where you add thyroid hormones to your system to replace the hormones your thyroid would normally produce. You can take these hormones orally or in the form of a shot.
Hormone replacement therapy is a lifelong treatment because you’ll constantly have to replace your missing thyroid hormones. However, with this treatment, you can live a long, normal life despite hypothyroidism.