The thyroid, which is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of your throat, is part of your body’s endocrine system. The endocrine system is responsible for coordinating many of your body’s activities, while the thyroid gland itself is responsible for producing the hormone that regulates metabolism.
Though small, when the thyroid develops issues, it can cause worrisome symptoms throughout the body. Whether it underproduces the metabolism-regulating hormone (hypothyroidism) or overproduces it (hyperthyroidism), thyroid issues can cause fatigue, irritability, weight gain, weight loss and other symptoms.
The most common thyroid disorders are hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. These disorders are typically caused by four other common conditions, including goitre, Grave’s disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and thyroid nodules.
When you have hyperthyroidism, it means that your thyroid gland is overactive, meaning it produces too much of the metabolism-triggering hormone. This may cause your body’s functions to speed up, which can result in symptoms such as restlessness, racing heart, nervousness and increased sweating. Persons with hyperthyroidism may also experience the following:
Though the exact numbers are unclear, researchers believe that between 1% and 3% of adults have hyperthyroidism, with the majority of those individuals being women.
Grave’s disease, which you can learn more about below, is the most common cause of a hyperactive thyroid, afflicting approximately 73% of the population with the disorder. However, there are other causes of hyperthyroidism, such as the following:
If you have hyperthyroidism or symptoms of it, your doctor may diagnose you with one of the above conditions.
In hypothyroidism, the thyroid acts in the exact opposite manner as it does in hyperthyroidism—it is underactive and, therefore, does not produce enough of the metabolism-aiding hormone. As a result, some of your bodily functions may slow down, causing symptoms such as the following:
Because of the progressively severe issues that hypothyroidism causes, it is crucial that your healthcare team diagnose and treat any underlying health conditions that can potentially cause your thyroid to become underactive. Some conditions your doctor may test for are as follows:
Hypothyroidism is more likely to affect persons with other health conditions, such as type 1 or type 2 diabetes, celiac disease, lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.
Goitre occurs when your thyroid becomes enlarged due to an iodine deficiency. The condition is non-cancerous and affects approximately 15.8% of the population worldwide, though it is more common in places where iodine is low in the diet, such as in the United States.
Goitre, when it becomes more severe, can cause a number of alarming symptoms. They may include but are not limited to the following:
Though the most common cause of goitre is an iodine deficiency, it can have other causes. Those include the following:
Though goitre can affect any person of any age, it is most common in individuals who live in places where iodine is in short supply. It also common affects persons older than 40, particularly women, individuals who have a family history of the condition, pregnant women, persons who take certain medications and individuals who are exposed to radiation.
Grave’s disease, which is named for the doctor who first described it more than 150 years ago, is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism, affecting approximately one in 200 people. It is an autoimmune disorder that occurs when the body’s immune system attacks the thyroid gland, causing it to overproduce the hormone that regulates the metabolism. When there is an excessive amount of the metabolism hormone in the bloodstream, your body’s processes speed up, causing symptoms that are similar to hyperthyroidism, such as the following:
Grave’s disease is hereditary, though it is much more common in women between the ages of 20 and 30 than any other populations. Additional risk factors include smoking, stress, family history, pregnancy and history of infection.
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, is the most common cause of hypothyroidism worldwide. It can occur at any age, but it is most common in middle-aged women. Like with Grave’s disease, Hashimoto’s occurs when the immune system attacks and slowly destroys the thyroid gland, thereby hindering its ability to produce the metabolism hormone.
The symptoms of Hashimoto’s are often subtle, with most people never developing any obvious signs. For individuals who do develop symptoms, they may come and go, plateauing over the years. The symptoms are also non-specific, meaning they resemble those of other conditions, making the disease difficult to diagnose. That said, common symptoms of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis include the following:
Thyroid nodules are growths that form on the thyroid gland. In most cases, they are non-cancerous, but they can be or become cancerous for some people. Nodules develop as a result of iodine deficiency, though they can have other causes. That said, approximately 1% of men and 5% of women in iodine-deficient countries have nodules that are large enough to feel through the skin. Though women are four times more likely to have nodules than men, men who develop nodules are twice as likely to develop cancer from them than women. As with most thyroid-related issues, the risk of developing thyroid nodules increases with age.
For most people, thyroid nodules do not cause any symptoms. However, if they grow large enough, you may be able to feel them through the skin. They may also cause swelling and make it difficult for you to breathe or swallow. Other symptoms of thyroid nodules are as follows:
These symptoms occur when, as a result of the nodules, your thyroid overproduces the metabolism hormone. However, nodules can also lead to the underproduction of the metabolism hormone, resulting in one or more of the following symptoms:
Children can develop thyroid conditions as well, though, more often than not, they are born with them. Common thyroid conditions that children develop are as follows:
Hyperthyroidism in children can be caused by one of a few conditions. Some of the most common causes are the following:
When children develop hyperthyroidism, the symptoms are similar to those an adult may experience. Common symptoms in children include the following:
As with hyperthyroidism, children can develop hypothyroidism as a result of several conditions. Common causes of an underactive thyroid in children include the following:
If a child has hypothyroidism, he or she may experience the following symptoms:
Thyroid cancer is the most common type of cancer that affects the endocrine system in children. That said, it affects a small number of children, approximately one in one million for every child under the age of 10. The incidence rate grows slightly higher in the teen population, with a rate of about 15% for teens between 15 and 19 years old. Symptoms of thyroid cancer are similar to those of thyroid nodules and may include the following:
Thyroid nodules are rare in children and adolescents, and when a child does develop one, they are typically benign. However, if a child develops a nodule, he or she has a higher risk of developing thyroid cancer in the future.
Unfortunately, there is little you can do to prevent thyroid disorders entirely, as many thyroid disorders are either hereditary or caused by deficiencies over which you have no control. That said, there are steps you can take to reduce your risk of developing a thyroid disorder. Below are just a few of the most effective tips.
Iron is essential in the production of the thyroid hormone. If you do not get enough iron through your diet, you could be at a greater risk of developing hypothyroidism. Moreover, hypothyroidism medications become far less effective if you are iron deficient, meaning you must boost your iron intake to overcome the disorder. To do this, try adding the following foods to your diet:
If you struggle to get iron through your diet, talk to your doctor about adding an iron supplement to your daily routine.
Research has linked an overconsumption of highly processed foods with an increased risk for pre-hyperthyroidism, otherwise known as subclinical hyperthyroidism. Types of ultra-processed foods that may trigger pre-hyperthyroidism include cookies, cakes and similar snack items. These foods are suspected triggers because they contain high amounts of salt, sugar and other flavour-enhancing fats.
Your body requires trace amounts of selenium to activate the thyroid hormone. If you have low levels of selenium, your risk for chronic autoimmune thyroiditis, goitre and Grave’s disease rise. While you can increase your selenium levels by increasing your intake of seafood, whole grains and meat, you may need to take a supplement.
While most thyroid disorders do not pose a serious threat to your overall health, they can cause worrisome symptoms that interfere with several aspects of your life. The sooner you identify the condition, the sooner you can take steps to correct it. For this reason, you should contact your doctor immediately if you detect the following symptoms:
Each of these issues indicate a potential thyroid disorder and, therefore, warrant a call to your doctor.
There are two thyroid disorders in particular that are medical emergencies and, therefore, that warrant immediate medical attention. Those are myxoedema coma and thyroid storm.
A myxoedema coma is an extreme symptom of untreated hypothyroidism. If you experience the following symptoms, call for emergency medical attention immediately:
Though a myxoedema coma can happen at any time of the year, it is more likely to occur in the wintertime, and after prolonged periods of cold.
A thyroid storm occurs when the thyroid produces an excessive amount of the metabolism hormone and is a medical emergency. It is characterized by progressively alarming symptoms, such as the following:
Thyroid disorders typically entail over- or under-activity of the thyroid gland, or hypo- or hyperthyroidism. In most cases, these issues are not serious and can be easily corrected through dietary changes, supplementation and medication. However, because thyroid conditions can become serious — or simply because the symptoms can interfere with your bodily functions — it is best to get checked out sooner rather than later when you do experience symptoms of a thyroid disorder.